a silas medical update

sweet silas has had his fair share of doctor appointments in his first week of life and it seems there will be more in his future.

i am so thankful for our pediatrician and the care and concern he has shown for our little guy.  he's never had a patient with abdominal situs inversus and he's an older guy so he's probably seen a lot of things.  i love that he's shown an interest even before silas was born by researching and sending me info on his condition with a hand written note noting the questions we should ask at our prenatal ultrasound appointment.  i love that he has seen us twice and called me twice this week to check on him.  yes, that's right, the pediatrician himself has called me.

we've been monitoring his weight this week because he had dropped down 10 ounces from birth.  i think the doctor wanted to make sure that it was more of a "needs to eat more" issue than a "not absorbing his food" sort of issue and it was just that he needed a bit more to eat.  by wednesday he was back up to his birth weight plus a couple of ounces.  the pediatrician also was concerned about a mass he was feeling on the left side of silas' abdomen, and because things are not in their correct places, there was no way to know exactly what he was feeling without an ultrasound.

so silas had his first ultrasound yesterday morning.  we were glad to have one ordered because we knew all along that this would be standard procedure for him and for us, the sooner the better.  we were really praying before the appointment because silas could not have anything to eat for 3 hours prior.  that just seems so mean and sad for a newborn but we knew it was necessary.  we were expecting him to be upset and hungry throughout the procedure but he literally laid there asleep the entire time the tech moved the wand over his abdomen.  it was totally divine intervention!

he survived his first ultrasound!

look at that little hospital anklet

so the tech of course is not allowed to comment much on what he saw but he did confirm that silas does have a spleen!  that is something we had been praying about for months and we thank those who have been praying for that with us as well!  he explained that the doctor would contact us about the results but that he didn't see anything that would require us to stay there.

so a few hours later, our amazing pediatrician called me personally again!  he explained that the mass that he was feeling was the liver.  he also explained that silas does have the one spleen (he could have had one, none or several) which is a good thing because typically the one spleen suggests that there are fewer other issues.  everything in the abdomen is indeed flipped which was not a surprise.

now the concerns:

there were no noted malrotations of the bowels but after consulting with a pediatric surgeon, they are suggesting that silas have an upper gi test performed to see if a malrotation is likely to occur in the future.  from what i understand from reading about this online, when the bowels are flipped they are not "tacked down" like they would be in a normal orientation so a malrotation is likely to occur.  if this is the case, silas would need a surgery to correct this.  so we have an appointment on september 12 with the pediatric surgeon.

there is also an issue with his inferior vena cava.  this is the large vein that carries de-oxygenated blood from the lower half of the body into the right atrium of the heart.  it does not enter the heart in the correct place.  so we are being referred to a pediatric cardiologist for an echocardiogram to make sure that this is okay.  i read online that it can be explained like this:  in a normal body, it could be compared to 2+2=4 but with situs inversus it is like 1+3=4.  you get the same result, just in a different way.  we are waiting to hear when this appointment will be.

so from what i can tell, all of these referrals are more to confirm that things are working okay or to catch something before it becomes a problem.

i've tried to research all of this online but with situs inversus there are so many variations that it is virtually impossible to find another case exactly like his.  we are so thankful that he is doing well and thriving and acting like a normal newborn.  you just look at him and you would never know that things are so crazy on the inside.  i find myself asking God why He would make silas different in this way and i wonder if this is part of silas' testimony because God redeems everything for His glory.

we are loving his sweetness and enjoying his little personality.  he loves to suck on his hands and fingers when he figures out how to get them into his mouth.  he likes music and seems to calm down when we sing to him or play the music on my phone that we put together for his birth.  he loves it when you talk to him up close so that he can see your face.  he does not like diaper changes.  his skin is peeling everywhere, especially his hands and feet.  we can't decide if he looks more like burrito or noodle...i think he might be a perfect mix of both of them.  he had a little eye infection but that is almost completely gone.  his umbilical cord came off today, yay!  he had his first photo shoot with a dear friend today and i can't wait to see those pictures!  he's been to walmart and sprouts and tomorrow will be his first visit to church.

so that's the latest update on our guy.  we can't wait for everyone to meet him!

1 week old

i can't believe he is already 1 week old.  time is going by too fast.  except for the nights when he decides that sleep is overrated, ha!  i feel like we are settling into a bit of a routine which feels good.  we are all quite smitten with him.

we have been to the doctor every other day since his birth monitoring his weight and his special organs.  we went for a sonogram today and because i am so tired, i'll have to blog the details of it later but we have more doctor appointments in our future.

we are so thankful for all those who have been praying for months for this little guy.  would you keep praying for him?  he's doing great but we have to see a few more doctors to make sure there are no future problems.

isn't he a handsome little thing?  i keep reminding myself of this verse:

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14

silas' birth story

i am so happy with the events of silas' birth.  back in week 20 of pregnancy when we found out silas had the flipped organs (technical term is situs inversus), i was convinced that my dream of having a water birth at a birthing center was over.  i, of course, was ready to accept whatever was necessary for his safe delivery, but i had dreamed for many years of having another baby and doing it this way, something totally different than my experiences with burrito and noodle.

once we received the news at his 32 week ultrasound that he was okay and cleared for a birth outside of the hospital, i was so happy and relieved.  but then, this sweet guy made us wait extra long for his birth so once again i was wondering if my hopes and plans would need to be rewritten again.  thankfully, he finally came 12 days after my due date and we didn't have to cross that bridge.

his birth story starts thursday night, august 22.  it was parent's night at the boys' school and honestly, i was hoping to attend that and not be in labor.  and i did and learned a lot about 4th and 2nd grade! :)  as i was recounting some of the things discussed at the meeting with john when i returned home, i started having mild contractions.  we were watching the local news, and i told him that he better get some substitute teacher plans together because i was thinking that this was the real thing.  i started timing the contractions at 10:38 pm on my phone and they came consistently every 5-7 minutes.  we continued noting them on my phone and around midnight i decided it would be wise to call my mom and let her know that we needed her to come and stay at the house with burrito and noodle.

my midwife advised me to get in a warm bath at home and see how things progress.  i did that until around 3 am and i felt like things were progressing enough that i wanted to head to the birth center in case things went really fast.  my past labors with the boys moved very quickly at the end, and the last thing i wanted was to deliver in the car on the way to the birth center!  my midwife told us she would head that way and give us a call when things were ready for us.

we arrived at the birth center at 4 am and she checked me and i was dilated to a 4.  she then showed john and me ways to labor more productively by walking around and sitting on a birthing ball.  we did this for a bit and then decided to try and rest some in the bed as labor progressed.  around 5:45 am i started having really intense contractions and lots of pressure.  i remembered this from my previous two labors and knew that i was getting close.  we were going to walk around some more but my contractions became super intense and we decided it was time to check me again.  i was at a 10!  there was some major scrambling that took place to get the tub ready and get me in it before silas decided to pop out.  in between contractions, i knew i wanted to text two really close friends to PRAY for me as i went through this last part of labor.  i texted them at 6:21 am and silas was born at 6:38 am august 23, just 17 minutes later!

i was able to get in the jetted tub and with two pushes, he was born!  it was such a euphoric experience to have him naturally with no pain medication in the water and to finally see him!  he seemed so tiny and was so perfect.  when you look at him, you would never know that his organs are flipped or that he is any different than any other baby.  his birth was so calm and peaceful.  the room was dark (that's why the pictures are dark and grainy) and quiet and he came out so content.  he hardly made a sound and was immediately looking around and wanting to eat.  we stayed in the water for awhile to allow the umbilical cord to finish pulsing and then for me to deliver the placenta.  then it was out of the tub and into the bed to let him nurse.

this is my favorite picture

he seemed so tiny to me

john cutting the umbilical cord

my sweet husband had made a music playlist on my cell phone a few months ago knowing that i would like to listen to music during labor.  we had a good time choosing songs that were our favorites and would be a good distraction for me.  it really was nice to listen to songs that inclined our hearts to worship the Lord as i labored and as we both prepared to meet our third son, a true miracle and gift from Jesus.  the song that played as i held silas for the first time was Jesus Cast a Look on Me.  These are the lyrics:

Jesus cast a look on me,
Give me sweet simplicity
Make me poor and keep me low,
Seeking only Thee to know

All that feeds my busy pride,
Cast it evermore aside
Bid my will to Thine submit,
Lay me humbly at Thy feet

Make me like a little child,
Of my strength and wisdom spoiled
Seeing only in Thy light,
Walking only in Thy might

Leaning on Thy loving breast,
Where a weary soul can rest
Feeling well the peace of God,
Flowing from His precious blood

In this posture let me live,
And hosannas daily give
In this temper let me die,
And hosannas ever cry!

we thought this song was so timely and perfect, especially the line leaning on Thy loving breast as he was nursing for the first time.  it was such a super sweet moment that it brought us both to near tears.

while we snuggled in bed, the ladies prepared the one treatment i had been looking forward to the most: the herbal bath!  a warm, herbal bath in a claw foot tub with twinkling tea lights and a brand new baby...what is better than that!  another super sweet memory that i will always remember spending with john and silas.

the herbal bath

he was so calm and happy

after that, i was helped to get dressed and breakfast was served to both john and me in bed.  my mom brought burrito and noodle up to meet their new brother (they were so pumped when mimi woke them up that morning to tell them that silas was here and they did not have to go to school!).  they watched as he was weighed and measured and checked over.  then instructions were given about how best to care for me and silas over the next couple of days and then we were headed home to rest in our own bed! 

he weighed 6lbs, 10 oz

love these baby feet

he measured 19.5 inches long

so that's the story of how we met silas jack.  we love him so much and are so grateful for all the excellent care we received during my pregnancy and delivery.

Silas Jack

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of Silas Jack Rutherford, born August 23, 2013 at 6:38 am, weighing 6lbs, 10oz and measuring 19.5 inches long.

We are all totally in love with him and can't wait to share more about the newest addition to our family!

Thank you for praying for him and for us.  He is perfect and we are praising the Lord Jesus!

thank you Jesus

thank you Jesus for allowing me to parent and love and nurture another son

thank you Jesus for giving me a baby despite just having one ovary

thank you Jesus for the satisfaction and joy that comes from being a mother

thank you Jesus for knitting Silas perfectly in the womb and though he has some medical issues, he received the best medical prognosis possible

thank you Jesus for blessing me with 3 healthy pregnancies

thank you Jesus for giving burrito and noodle hearts that are excited to have a new baby brother

thank you Jesus for all the ways you've molded and shaped our family before Silas is even born

thank you Jesus for a wonderful, supportive husband who is eager to love and serve his pregnant wife

thank you Jesus for giving us a great experience with a midwife

thank you Jesus for a pediatrician that is sincerely interested in caring for Silas and monitoring his health needs

thank you Jesus for all the friends who have prayed for us and prayed for Silas throughout this pregnancy

thank you Jesus for giving me these extra days of being pregnant and feeling a baby kick and move inside of me

thank you Jesus for all of the baby gear that others have blessed us with that fill our house

thank you Jesus for answering my prayer to grow Silas big and strong before he is born

thank you Jesus for teaching us patience as we wait for Silas' arrival, knowing that You will bring him at the most perfect time

40 weeks!

i can't believe i just typed that!  i am officially past my due date!  it seems little silas jack is pretty happy just hibernating.  truth be told, i am just glad he did not come on the first day of school!

i had an appointment with my midwife today and we don't think anything will happen in the next week.  you never know though!  my poor family is tired of sitting on pins and needles wondering when he will make his grand entrance.  there are so few real surprises in life and we are all a little (or a lot!) "type a" so i think it's a good thing that God is trying to stretch us by teaching us patience and reminding us that we truly are not in control!

i love being pregnant but i am at that point where i am ready to have my normal body back.  i just can't move the same way being this big and sleeping is a joke!  and to be honest, the anticipation of this natural, unmedicated birth can be a little overwhelming at times.  i know i can do it, but i also know how hard it will be and i just want that behind me.  and i can't wait to see my silas jack!

first day of school 2013-2014

today was the first day of school for everyone (but me) and we all survived.  burrito is in 4th grade and noodle is in 2nd grade this year.  i can't believe how fast the time goes by!  i am admittedly always a little emotional at the start of each year.  this year, i was more emotional the night before at meet the teacher night than i was today as i walked them to class.

noodle at his new desk in 2nd grade at meet the teacher night

burrito at his new desk in 4th grade at meet the teacher night

and of course i had to take everyone's picture this morning before we left for school, including the cutest latin teacher ever! he's so sweet to allow me to torture him in this way every year! :)

my two cuties

and then i always like to walk them to class on the first day of school.  they didn't really care for me to do that this year but i told them it was more for me than them and maybe after 6th grade i will stop! :)

standing in front of the lockers before going in to class

we celebrated surviving the first day with an ice cream trip to braum's!

these three are my biggest loves in life and it is so hard to be away from them for so long, but i am thankful to the Lord that they love our school and that they have great friends and teachers.  may the Lord teach us all new things about life and Himself this school year!

summer is over :(

well today is the first day of school for john, burrito, and noodle!  and i'm so sad that summer is over.  i say it every year, but it's just not fair to have to give up all 3 of them at the same time.  i'll post the official "first day of school" pictures tonight, but i wanted to first mention how we celebrated the last few days of summer. 

waiting for silas to show up encouraged me to cram as many fun things into last friday as possible because i just don't know when he will come and life will be turned upside down.  so we started last friday morning with a trip to the donut store!

we never do this because i am married to a health freak, so we were sure to pick a day that dad would be at work!  ha, ha!

then we tried our hands at a pinterest project.  i saw awhile back a great idea for boys...to let them take apart an old, broken appliance of some sort.  goodwill has a plethora of old appliances, vcr's and dvd players, but we were really holding out for something that didn't cost a penny.  and lo and behold, there was an old vcr sitting outside the dumpster at school that john saw and brought home.  hooray for junk! :)

so we set up shop in the driveway with an assortment of screwdrivers and the boys successfully took the whole thing apart.  it wasn't quite the most amazing thing ever that i thought it might be for them, but they enjoyed doing it and seeing all the parts inside.

then we headed out to see the new movie planes.  it is very similar to cars, which we loved, and i really appreciated this movie too because it led to some good redemptive conversation.  the story is about a plane that has the dream of racing, but he is just a crop duster so odds are against him from the very beginning.  however, with some hard work, he qualifies for the big race.  throughout the race, he consistently puts others first over his goal of coming in first place.  then at the end when he needs help, those friends step up to help him.  in a family of boys that are very competitive and in which everything is a race and competition, it was great to talk about this movie in light of the Bible and what Jesus says about how the first will be last and the last will be first.

going to the movies and sitting inside with cold air conditioning is about the only thing i can enjoy right now!  it's been over 100 degrees here in texas for days on end!

we finished up our fun friday with dinner out at our favorite place, gloria's!  we usually celebrate surviving the first week of school but with silas' impending birth, we just weren't sure we would get the chance to do that this year!

july and august fun

so this will be a huge phone picture dump.  i am just too big and pregnant to tote my good camera around these days!  we've had a lot of fun hanging near home this summer.  thanks to a huge blessing from my parents, our stay-cation has consisted mostly of trips to hawaiian falls.  they bought all of us a season pass so we have gone once a week all summer to take advantage of this blessing.  the boys and john have also enjoyed a TON of bike riding this summer, recently clocking in a 6 mile ride!  they love to bike to nearby parks, play tag and other "manly" activities, and then ride back home.  next summer, silas and i will be able to join them.  here are some other fun things we've done lately:

Late night movie to see Despicable Me 2

We thought this would be good for crazy hat day!

Free slurpees on 7/11 from 7-11

Early morning trips to the park (before it gets too hot!)  I love that they are still thrilled with going to the park!

Feeding the ducks at another local park...there were even little ducklings!

They were pretending to be in jail!

Making homemade play-doh for the first time.

Making play-doh food

Don't you love their aprons?!?!  We like to bake in them a lot! :)

i just love my little men and all the fun, simple things that we do together to make life fun!  i can't believe we are about to add another little man to the mix! and i can't believe that summer is almost over!

39 weeks

wow.  this is the longest i have ever been pregnant.  i had burrito 16 days early and noodle 8 days early, and i was convinced that this guy would follow suit and be early too.  well, he only has 4 more days to make that happen and according to my midwife at this week's appointment, it probably isn't going to happen!

 

these are terrible phone pics thanks to the lighting but oh well...i wanted to make sure we got these just in case he decided to make his appearance sooner rather than later!

and i wanted to get some pics of the boys with my belly this week for posterity sake. :)

they both told my midwife that they are "done waiting" for silas to come, so i think we are all ready and anxious to meet him.  i did pray that silas would bake up nice and big way back when we first learned of his medical issues so i guess this is just the Lord answering that prayer! :)

my body is just not built to carry this much weight all on the front end so i am feeling more and more tired.  it has been 2000 degrees outside this week and dad, who is much more fun than mom, started back to in service at school this week.  so all that to say, we are just barely making it around here.

the first day of school is next tuesday, august 13, so i am just praying, praying, praying that that is NOT the day silas decides to make his grand appearance!

4th of july

we celebrated the 4th of july at my parent's house again this year.  we love going down there for this holiday because they live outside the city limits and you can buy and shoot fireworks to your heart's content.  and believe me when i say this, those people down there are serious about their fireworks!

i grew up doing this because my parent's current house was my grandparents' house.  i have such fond memories of exploding ant hills with black cat firecrackers, eating homemade ice cream, and watching other people set off fireworks in the street.

not much has changed over the years and i am not kidding when i say that you can hear some sort of firework going off every second from dusk till whenever you go to bed.  and this is for DAYS, not just the night of the 4th.

i will say that lighting fireworks takes on a whole new meaning as a mom.  i was trying to be real cool about it all and only lost it when a lit smoke bomb rolled toward a pack of 300 firecrackers sitting on the ground right in front of us.

but you should have seen john and the boys!  they had the time of their life setting off our quaint stash of fireworks that we indulged in this year!

love these brothers and their kool-aid lips!

still pregnant...11 days and counting...

it's august 1st and we are all just waiting on this baby over here.  even burrito and noodle are getting impatient!  we are so ready and so excited to meet this new little guy and my body is D.O.N.E. being pregnant!

john starts in service at school on monday and then the boys start back to school the following tuesday, august 13.  my technical "due date" is august 12th but it would sure be more convenient if he came just a little early!  the beginning of school every year is crazy!  all the school forms, school supplies, school uniforms, meet the teacher, pickup/drop off, lunches, and being on a schedule really sends us for a loop.  john and i have to remind ourselves each year that our children are only tired from the first weeks of school and we have not committed some awful parenting fail because it gets ugly around here.

silas is still moving around but he has definitely slowed down and his movements are more twisting and turning than wild and crazy flailing like they have been in the past few months.  i'm still measuring small but that's because i AM small and he is too and he likes being all balled up inside.  his head is down and ready to go so i keep thinking any day now but we will see. 

hoping that my next post on here will be pictures of our new baby!