Coming up with Levi

This next week is going to be nuts. I'll start from the beginning with last week's information.
Last week we went and saw a new urologist. This was our first visit past the "meet and greet". This urologist, Dr. P, decided to run some tests that we had never done before. Through the testing Dr. P found out that Levi's bladder doesn't hold even half of the amount it should. They expect a newborn baby to be able to hold about 3 oz of urine. Levi, as a 3 year old, should be able to hold at least 5 oz of urine in his bladder. Levi holds about 2 oz. The rest of it gets pushed up into his kidney. This was something that we expected to see. What we did not expect is what came next. We also found out that when Levi goes to the bathroom, he only empties out about half of the urine that is in his bladder and kidney. Therefore, his bladder and kidney almost always have old urine sitting in there.

After learning all of this, we also decided that a transplant won't stop this from happening. They expect that his bladder will grow a little bit with a kidney transplant, but not enough in Levi's case. This leads us to what is coming up, this next week Levi will be having surgery to fix this. The surgery is called a uretal/bladder reimplantation. I've gone ahead and linked that so that you can look up more facts and information. We will also be putting in a dialysis catheter. Not because he needs dialysis right now, but because he is borderline needing dialysis. As his parents, we would rather put him through just one surgery and do both of these things then have to open him up again. If we don't use the catheter, that is fine, we can remove it at the time of transplant.

Our hope and prayer is that this will help solve issues that could arise again after transplant. I am nervous, especially this close to Christmas. We should be able to go home a day or two after surgery. Please pray for peace for our family, and for the doctors over doing this. My anxeity is through the roof on this one. I really dislike having to decide if what we're doing is best for Levi, or if we're just working on borrowed time anyways. I know that God can and will protect Levi during this time and I need to just calm down and THANK HIM for getting us this far without having to do any of these procedures.

Our Big News

We're moving! John got a new job in Oklahoma, so we'll be heading down there! He's going to be doing the same type of work that he does in Kansas, for better pay. We'll have our families a lot closer to help with kids and do family stuff with us. It seems like a lot right now, but I think it's going to be great! And what would a blog post be without pictures, here's a picture of the new house!

I'm excited to see it! I know that this is going to be a great "restart" for our family. I think Oklahoma will be a smart move. The house has more space than we do now, more yard, and I might have convinced the Music Man to get another dog :)

Before I was Mom

Before I was Mom I KNEW things that my kids would and wouldn't do. We've all seen those crazy parents that let their kids get away with murder, and in turn, make those around them want to murder them. I knew that some of those things would be a waste of my breath, and some, I would stick to, no matter what. Boy was in for a surprise.

Before I was Mom...

• I knew that my kids would always be well fed, they'd have enough and it'd be healthy.
• I vowed that we would eat at home as often as possible
• I knew that I'd find the perfect daycare provider so I wouldn't miss a beat at work
• I promised myself that my kid would never get away with things, even in public
• I promised to keep my house clean, and to pick up toys every night
• I knew that I would never let my kids sleep in my bed
• I was going to keep them on a schedule, they needed to fit into my life
• I was still going to see all of my "pre-baby" friends
• And most of all, I'd raise them to love the Lord.

Then I had a sick kid.

Now that I'm Mom of one perfect boy, and one baby girl on the way I've learned...

• I'm lucky if my kid eats anything. Tonight a piece of cheese was a huge win
• I'm thankful our town has more than one McDonald's, so I don't seem like I go to any one too often
• Work wasn't worth it. Between doctor's appointments and Levi being sick, home is a good place to be
• Levi totally climbed across a table at a meeting tonight. And I wasn't even mad. 
• My house isn't clean. It never is. There are toys everywhere. But it's home.
• After getting up 3 times before 4am the other day, Levi ended up in bed with me.
• The only schedule we keep around here is Levi's feeding and medicine schedule.
• I'm glad most of my friends are having babies right now, then they still want to hang out with me
• We are raising our children to love the Lord. If there was anything I was going to get right, I'm glad this was it.

I'm not always a good mom...

I'm not. There it is. I said it. I'm really bad at some "mom" things.

• Mostly housework. I hate cleaning. That's not an understatement. I actually hate cleaning.
•  I forget when it's snack time. We've been on tube feeds for so long that now that Levi's started to take in some of his nutrition by mouth, I can't figure out for the life of me why at 4:30 he's screaming in the kitchen. Oh yeah. He just wants a snack.
• Remembering to schedule play dates. I live in this world of "I have a sick kid". I forget that sometimes he likes to be normal and play with other kids. Whoops.
• Washing diapers. There's always only one left when I finally get around to it. Then it's dirty and I still have 2 more hours before the others are clean, so we have none. 
• Not watching TV. Especially when I'm cooking. I like to watch netflix at the end of the day, but Levi needs that time more. 
• Baths. I hate bath time. Levi loves it. I try to make it as quick and as painless as possible. Levi wants it to last as long as possible.
• Did I mention cleaning? I hate cleaning. 

There it is. Honestly.