When I found out just over 4 years ago that I was pregnant again, I was a bit upset. Ok, a bit upset is putting it mildly. I was devastated. I had a good job. Two children (a boy and a girl) and had given away all of my baby things. At the time my birth control pill was causing some issues with migraines for me, so I had to switch methods....and then before we knew it.....bam. Pregnant. I actually think that I could get pregnant if Chris looked at me cross-eyed (and I'm not entirely sure that that isn't how Violet happened).
After much talk Chris and I decided that I would stay home with the kids; mostly because daycare was too expensive for 3 children but also because we wanted one of us home with them all the time. Since Chris doesn't have "the mom gene" as he refers to it, I was the person chosen to stay home. I have to admit that it was my life's dream to be a stay at home mom. That's before I knew how hard it is....
I envisioned myself playing lots of games, baking cookies, singing songs....instead I break up fights, play mind games with the kids, attempt to bake cookies and sing positive "you can do this" songs to myself....but I digress.
I handed in my resignation at work with a end date of 6.30.06...which would give me a little less than a month to sit and swelter in the heat at home. And wait. And wait.
For some reason my kids never want to come out. Maisy was 2 days late. The other 3 were induced 2 weeks early because they were so big. While I was pregnant with James I had several kidney infections and was hospitalized a couple times. What we didn't know was that the infections had killed my placenta. James's sonograms looked good and he was getting very big, so the Dr. decided to induce me (yeah!) on July 24th 2006. He wasn't nearly as big as they though, only weighing in at 8 lbs 15 ounces....and what they discovered was that my placenta had died and was no longer feeding him. He was starving. Not only that but it had infected him as well.
As soon as he was born he had a seizure. It was so scary. I remember seeing him laying on that heating pad shaking, and barely crying. Chris and I were terrified. We found out 4 hours later (after a spinal tap!) that he had Spinal Meningitis, the bacterial and very deadly kind. We were told that he would have to stay in the hospital on IV treatment for 2 weeks. This was a major blow. Especially since they also told us that the medication he would be receiving would cause a hearing loss.
Thank goodness for my mom who stepped up and took care of the kids while Chris worked, and while I sat in the hospital ( I was nursing so I couldn't leave...wouldn't have anyway) for 2 weeks.
During these two weeks the maternity ward got a tad bit full. My Aunt Nancy had lent my dad a book about Jack the Ripper and I had borrowed it from him. So, I had been reading it while in the hospital...which wouldn't have been a problem had I not have been moved to the PSYCHE WARD. Yep. There were bars on my windows but no locks on my doors....and I'm reading Jack the Ripper!?????!!!! AHHHHH!
I would sit by the phone and just WAIT for that nursery to call me to nurse James, I was willing to wet nurse people at that point I was so scared.
Thankfully that only lasted for 2 days and I was moved back down to maternity...alive...SHEW!
After those long 2 weeks we brought James Henry home and we were a family. At about 6 months old when babies start to babble I noticed that James didn't. We then realized that he couldn't hear us talking and didn't know how to make those sounds. Instead he just grunted.
SO at about 1 1/2 he started speech therapy and after a year he could talk. He also regained much of his hearing and only suffers a 30% loss now....which means if he isn't facing you, he can't hear you...and it makes him talk REALLY LOUD ALL OF THE TIME.
At the age of 2 a golf ball sized tumor was found in his neck and was removed. Thankfully it was benign. Then he also had tubes put in that same year.
Through all of these trials and tribulations James Henry has been a wonderful little boy. He is always smiling. Always.
He's a tad bit spoiled...ok....REALLY spoiled, but man...can you blame me? He's my little miracle man....and someday I'm gonna buy him a REAL tractor. :)
Happy Birthday to my sweetest heart!
After much talk Chris and I decided that I would stay home with the kids; mostly because daycare was too expensive for 3 children but also because we wanted one of us home with them all the time. Since Chris doesn't have "the mom gene" as he refers to it, I was the person chosen to stay home. I have to admit that it was my life's dream to be a stay at home mom. That's before I knew how hard it is....
I envisioned myself playing lots of games, baking cookies, singing songs....instead I break up fights, play mind games with the kids, attempt to bake cookies and sing positive "you can do this" songs to myself....but I digress.
I handed in my resignation at work with a end date of 6.30.06...which would give me a little less than a month to sit and swelter in the heat at home. And wait. And wait.
For some reason my kids never want to come out. Maisy was 2 days late. The other 3 were induced 2 weeks early because they were so big. While I was pregnant with James I had several kidney infections and was hospitalized a couple times. What we didn't know was that the infections had killed my placenta. James's sonograms looked good and he was getting very big, so the Dr. decided to induce me (yeah!) on July 24th 2006. He wasn't nearly as big as they though, only weighing in at 8 lbs 15 ounces....and what they discovered was that my placenta had died and was no longer feeding him. He was starving. Not only that but it had infected him as well.
As soon as he was born he had a seizure. It was so scary. I remember seeing him laying on that heating pad shaking, and barely crying. Chris and I were terrified. We found out 4 hours later (after a spinal tap!) that he had Spinal Meningitis, the bacterial and very deadly kind. We were told that he would have to stay in the hospital on IV treatment for 2 weeks. This was a major blow. Especially since they also told us that the medication he would be receiving would cause a hearing loss.
Thank goodness for my mom who stepped up and took care of the kids while Chris worked, and while I sat in the hospital ( I was nursing so I couldn't leave...wouldn't have anyway) for 2 weeks.
During these two weeks the maternity ward got a tad bit full. My Aunt Nancy had lent my dad a book about Jack the Ripper and I had borrowed it from him. So, I had been reading it while in the hospital...which wouldn't have been a problem had I not have been moved to the PSYCHE WARD. Yep. There were bars on my windows but no locks on my doors....and I'm reading Jack the Ripper!?????!!!! AHHHHH!
I would sit by the phone and just WAIT for that nursery to call me to nurse James, I was willing to wet nurse people at that point I was so scared.
Thankfully that only lasted for 2 days and I was moved back down to maternity...alive...SHEW!
After those long 2 weeks we brought James Henry home and we were a family. At about 6 months old when babies start to babble I noticed that James didn't. We then realized that he couldn't hear us talking and didn't know how to make those sounds. Instead he just grunted.
SO at about 1 1/2 he started speech therapy and after a year he could talk. He also regained much of his hearing and only suffers a 30% loss now....which means if he isn't facing you, he can't hear you...and it makes him talk REALLY LOUD ALL OF THE TIME.
At the age of 2 a golf ball sized tumor was found in his neck and was removed. Thankfully it was benign. Then he also had tubes put in that same year.
Through all of these trials and tribulations James Henry has been a wonderful little boy. He is always smiling. Always.
He's a tad bit spoiled...ok....REALLY spoiled, but man...can you blame me? He's my little miracle man....and someday I'm gonna buy him a REAL tractor. :)
Happy Birthday to my sweetest heart!
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