This Crazy Life - 5 Years Later

5 Years ago today...we looked like this...

Here we are today....

Wow has time flown by. We were so young. So energetic. I was thinner. Time has changed us. And hopefully for the better.

In my head I have this long sappy post about how much I love you, how you are my hero and best friend. How we've grown stronger over the last 5 years and how much the Lord has done in our lives. But, because our life is so crazy right now, I don't even have time. So this is all I've got right now. I'm sure you understand, because you always do.

Happy Anniversary Matty! I LOVE YOU!!

Brody Update

Its been a while since I've updated about the latest with Brody. The last thing I mentioned here was the MRI back in November. Since then we've definitely gotten closer to an answer.

In January we went in for a  Nerve Conduction Study and Electromyography (EMG), as well as a brain MRI. This was the scary test that I was dreading for him. The NCS and EMG were tests that sent electricity through his body to test the response of the nerves and muscles. Fortunately he was sedated again and had no idea what was going on. The EMG, which tested the muscles, was normal; meaning the muscles are functioning properly.

The NCS, however, showed reduced nerve response, meaning that he has a neuropathy, a disease of the peripheral nerves. So this test ruled out all muscular problems and narrowed it down to a nerve problem. However, since the nerves tell the body what to do, the muscles in his legs are weak because the nerves aren't sending the signals fast enough to tell his legs how to step and function correctly. (Have I completely lost you yet? Believe me, it has taken us MONTHS to really comprehend all this stuff!)

Having this information really helps the genetics doctor know what direction to head in the testing. Early on we did a test to rule out the general form of Charcot-Marie-Toothe, the common name for most neuropathies. However, there are 14 kinds of CMT. We met with her today to discuss the next step in testing and she explained the ones she'll be testing for next. Of course, the testing is extremely expensive so she will be getting letters from other doctors to persuade the insurance company to pay for the tests. Nothing is ever easy.

Her next recommendation is visiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association clinic at Texas Children's in Houston. They have specialists in pediatrics who deal with these type of cases who will be able to work specifically with Brody's condition and help get us on a therapy regimen that can continue to strengthen his legs.

There is no cure for any form of CMT. It's something that Brody will have to live with his entire life unless the Lord chooses to take the disease away. However, it is not life threatening and ultimately, that's all we needed to hear. We can help him get stronger. We can overcome obstacles. He may not run as fast as others. He may not be able to do everything other people can do. But that's ok. We are going to do all we can to help him overcome this disorder and have a full life.

Because this is a genetic disorder, there is a 50/50 chance of passing it to our other children. So far, Carson has no signs. And we're praying for the new baby not to have this as well. But if so, we'll be prepared and believe God has a reason for everything.

We don't know what the future will look like on this journey.  I'm praying that God will strengthen us through this and will use us to bless and encourage others who may face something similar.

Sike!

That's what the buyer of our house told us..SIKE! We found out last night..with 5 hours left in the option period..that the buyer was backing out. They just panicked. Got cold feet. The thought of a mortgage was scary.

So where does that leave us? Disappointed. Frustrated because unless a new buyer comes along ASAP, we lose the house we were trying to buy in College Station...and the money we spent for all the inspections. We know God has a plan in all of this. Maybe the purchase just wouldn't have been good for that person. Or maybe we aren't supposed to have the house we picked out. Or maybe we are but we just need to learn patience. Whatever it is, we are trying to accept it and wait to see what will happen next.

I already miss "my new house." I had all my wall colors picked out and my furniture arranged in my head. I could picture our friends sitting around our new living room for game nights. Our children's birthday parties in the backyard. I was in love with the house that much. And maybe that's why it got taken away or possibly taken away. Because I was too wrapped up in this worldly possession. God is teaching us A LOT through this home buying and selling process. Its a process that makes me not want to have to do it again for a long time. We want to make the wisest financial decision as well as a decision pleasing to the Lord.

So in the meantime, we keep praying. Praying for a new buyer. Praying that God will provide the right house for us if we aren't meant to have this one. I've always been told that if you pray for patience be prepared for the storms to come. And boy are they coming these days.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

The last month has been a whirlwind for us. And in a good way!

You may remember that we put our house on the market last June. We had a lot of lookers for a few months but nothing every materialized. In late October we decided to take it off the market and get through the holidays without the stress of keeping our house ready to show. We re-evaluated everything over the break and put it back up on the market on January 3.

Well, on February 18, just 6 weeks after putting it back up, we got an offer! In just a couple of days we had come to an agreement and we were able to profit what we were wanting. The buyer had inspections done on our house on Monday and we are waiting to hear if they are requesting any repairs.

So, last week, once we got the contract lined out on our current home, we went and looked at a few houses that we were interested in. We've gone once before to look and fell in love with a home. We visited it again this time and still felt the same way about it. I loved it even more the second time. So, Friday morning we sent in an offer and by Monday we had reached an agreement with the owners! So we now have a contract on a home in South College Station. Our inspections are scheduled for this afternoon.

So as long as everything goes smoothly with inspections today, and there were no hiccups with the inspections of our current home, we'll close April 1! We are so excited about all of this. We've prayed for a year and a half about selling this house and purchasing a new one that we can live in more long term. We got impatient (or at least I did) last year when it wasn't selling, but God had perfect timing for us. We don't see any reason that the house we are buying hasn't sold, yet it stayed on the market for 5 months, even when others we were watching were being bought right up. So the timing worked out great for us! It hung around long enough for us to get it :)

We can't wait to get all settled in and have you over! You can be praying that everything goes smoothly over the next month and there are no holdups with financing, closing, etc.

I Want to be Normal Again...and My Valentine's Day Gifts

The last few weeks have been..ehh...well let's just say they've been pretty rough. We never did an official announcement on the blog about my pregnancy. Everyone that reads this blog probably already knows anyways. Plus, I'll just now be 9 weeks tomorrow so it seemed a little early to be making announcements. But anyways, if you didn't know, now you do. I'm due September 22.

My first 2 pregnancies were brutal and this one is turning out to be the same..maybe worse. The term morning sickness makes me laugh. I have all day sickness. Pretty much from the moment my head lifts from the pillow in the morning to the time it lays down again at night I feel sick. Some days I throw up constantly, others I just feel that I could at any second and nothing happens and I get no relief.

I take a high powered anti-nausea medicine and eat all day to ward off the nausea. Probably not a good thing since I will probably feel like a whale at the end if I have to keep eating a lot! I take my pre-natal vitamins at night. I do almost anything possible to feel better, and it just never leaves.

This post isn't to complain or make you feel sorry for me. But more to make you feel sorry for my husband and kids haha! I feel horrible that my house is a disaster most days. I don't cook hardly at all. My kids eat pb&j almost everyday for lunch. Matt goes into work a little late every day so that he can help me get the kids up and fed in the mornings. Yesterday morning, Valentine's Day, instead of waking up to homemade cards and breakfast in bed, he got to deal with "Daddy, I'm done pooping on the potty", Carson crying in his bed with 102 fever and his nose plastered with snot, and the sounds of me puking in the other bathroom. Very, very romantic. But despite it all, he has been such a trooper. So supportive and helpful through it all. And I know he'll do the same for the next, oh, like 7 months.

I had planned to cook us dinner for Valentine's Day. I thought it was the least I could do for my honey to show him how much I appreciate and love him. Well, even that fell through yesterday. So Matt picked up dinner and a movie and a few Valentine's Day surprises for me. We don't really do Valentine's gifts so I was shocked when he said he had something for me. I have to say, they were probably the most thoughtful Valentine's gifts of the century. I bet no one got better gifts than me :) Just look...

My doctor suggested trying vitamin B-6 to help with the nausea. 

These are Sea Bands, used to prevent nausea due to motion sickness. Mine are a little different and the package even said morning sickness. 

And last, but definitely not least....

Oreos fix everything :)

I'm ready to feel normal again. We are praying that this doesn't last the entire pregnancy like it did with the boys. Maybe it will just be a first trimester thing like regular people get. Either way, pray my husband and kids survive! 

Potty Training: Days 2 & 3

I never got around to posting day 2 so I'll just do both days in one, because really, they were about the same. Before this potty training experience began, we prayed about it and asked God to bless it, to give Brody the ability to learn this and be a willing participant. We asked God to make it go smoothly, partly just for all of us, and partly because I've been feeling so sick.

 And I have to say, the Lord answered mightily. Its almost as if we just skipped training. Like Brody just put underwear on and BAM! Just knew what to do. He only had 1 accident on Tuesday (day 2) and 1 Wednesday (day 3). Today we have been in the same pair of clean underwear ALL DAY! His pull ups have been dry every naptime and morning as well!

Again, I'm not getting over confident as if we'll never have accidents. We know we'll still need to keep a close eye on him for a while and keep reminding him to keep his underwear dry and to tell us if he needs to go. But this is a HUGE victory to even been this far. I was dreading this week. And the Lord came through  big time, as always. Praise the Lord for only having 1 child in diapers!! Our budget will definitely appreciate that :)

Potty Training: Day 1

We are taking a second stab at potty training Brody. We attempted last May and it was..well..lets just say it didn't work out. We decided he just wasn't ready, and we thought there was a chance his leg condition may have been affecting it as well. So we waited until yesterday to start again.

We are doing the 3 day method with a couple of modifications. Leigh Ann loaned us some potty books to read to him and we got him syked up for it last week by reading one every day. His favorites are "Too Big for Diapers" with Ernie and "Diapers are Not Forever." We talked about it on Sunday night and yesterday morning he was excited when he got up and remembered it was the day for underwear and no more diapers.

All in all, yesterday was a great day. I think he really understands what we are trying to accomplish and seems willing to see it through this time. He only had 2 accidents all day. A few times his underwear were slightly damp and when we noticed, he would run to the potty and finish. It seems like when that happens he is realizing its happening and is catching it before it becomes an accident. So I'm really proud of him for that.

There were a couple of times early on yesterday that he said he was all done with the underwear and wanted to go back into diapers like Carson. But after explaining that Carson is still a baby and Brody is a big boy, he decided he wanted to stay in big boy underwear. We also moved all the diapers and wipes into Carson's room and are only changing him in there, out of Brody's sight. 

One major modification we are doing (that the 3 day method does not support) is that we are using pull ups at nap time and bedtime. The first go round we did underwear at sleep times, and although I understand the reason why, it was just too much for me to handle. He was never taking good naps because he'd wake up covered in pee or worse. And the same at night. It was miserable for all of us and it about made me lose my mind. So this time, that just wasn't an option for me. Between morning sickness (oh, I guess we need to blog about that announcement!) and raising 2 toddlers, I just couldn't add that stress. We explain to him that these are his nightime/naptime underwear and to try to keep them dry and to still tell us if he needs to go potty. When he woke up this morning, it seemed  he only wet once in the pull up.

So far, day 1 yesterday was fairly easy. I'm not getting my hopes up that we've got this thing in the bag. Day 1 last time went pretty good as well. But I feel like this time is different. He is more mature and definitely more willing this time. We still don't know if his condition has any affect on the training. His legs seem stronger than they were last May, so maybe the other muscles have developed more as well which may be helping him get it this time. I'll wait until tomorrow to do a post on how today is going. I should wait to see how things play out after nap time before I get too excited :)