Braxten Andrew Andersen

Alright everyone... Well, Tuesday the 19th we found out that we're having a BOY! I guess Shane was right, huh? Haha. His name is going to be Braxten Andrew and we're SO excited for him to get here. Originally, my ultrasound was scheduled in September, but was moved up due to an abnormal AFP(Alpha Fetal Protein) test. The test came back positive for a type of Open Neuro Tube Defect which is most commonly Spina Bifida, so the doctor wanted to check things out to make sure everything looked good. Well everything looked good with his spine and every other part of his little body, but just like his big sis, he's got too much fluid in his brain... So we went to the Perinatologist this last Friday to get a closer look at things. As of now, Braxten is seeming to be on the more "mild" end of hydrocephalus, but it looks like it's still there! We're just praying that he's ok. Not necessarily that it goes away because we know Heavenly Father does what he needs to do with his babies, but we're just praying that he'll be happy and healthy. We're just excited to have him be a part of our little family! Our next ultrasound will be October 3rd, so we've still got a little ways to go! Shane always lightens the mood and said, "I think I'm really starting to like babies with big heads!" He always knows how to make the situation better. We miss him!! Well e-mail me if you have any questions! I'm going to try and get a somewhat decent picture of the little guy on here from his ultrasound pics... Love you all!

Baby number two!

So as of Friday of this week I am 18 weeks pregnant! I'm already almost half way there, it seems almost unreal. We get our ultrasound done on the 5th of September and yes! We're going to find out if it's a girl or a boy even though we've had objections from Grandma and Grandpa haha. I'm just excited to find out if Riley will have a little brother or a little sister. Can you blame me? I think we're having a boy and so does Shane... Any other guesses out there? Kara's having a girl and I'm pretty sure Elise is too, so my mom says it's up to me and Shane to give them another grandson haha. I guess we'll see!! Otherwise it'll be a whole housefull of baby girls... OH BOY... So far everything is going well with the baby as far as we can tell! The heartbeat sounds great and he or she has been moving around A LOT... I am honestly pretty nervous about the ultrasound, but I think everything will be fine. The good news is Shane should be home for the birth which is EXTREMELY exciting... I hope it all works out! I'll give updates as they come. My next appointment is the 5th so I guess we'll just have to wait til then!! Ciao for now!

Riley

So Riley had her surgery on the 16th of July and she's doing absolutely AMAZING. The day we got home, she was smiling, laughing, playing with her toys and just being the cute girl she always is. If I had that kind of surgery, I would probably be laid out for months... I really don't know how she does it. Her hair is finally growing back and I'm so excited! I've had to dress her in the most "girly-girl" outfits I could find so people wouldn't think she was a boy. Her name makes it hard to tell too. She's the cutest baby girl I've ever seen with a bald head ;) Haha. Well, the second surgery should be in December or January. We're trying to get that figured out with Dr. Siddiqi, the pediatric plastic surgeon that performed the surgery. We're hoping for December because January is going to be a CRAZY month... Kara's having a baby, I'm having a C-section and Elise is having a baby!! Plus, if we can get the surgery to be done the beginning of January/end of December, Shane can come home and stay home!!! Sigh... I'm really really hoping that's the case. Cross your fingers everyone!! We'll find out this week if December or January is a possibilty. I'll let you know!

Back from R&R

So, the past couple weeks have been really hard having Shane gone. He was here for two weeks for Riley's surgery, but obviously had to leave once those two weeks were up. I think it's almost harder having the person you love here for two weeks be with you then have to leave again, then it is to just be apart. I guess it almost felt like a tease in a way. I'm so happy he was here though. I couldn't have gone through Riley's surgery without him here. He's such a strong person and he always keeps me right where I should be. We also had a lot of fun and it was nice to get a break every once in a while to just be together. I can definitely say being away from him is probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. You hear about things happening and you get scared and worried and that anxiety seems to linger with you into everyday life if you let it. It's really hard not to, I'll be honest. I definitely cry a lot and have my share of sleepness nights, but really, I'm just happy Shane is safe and that he's doing well over there. I just keep the prayers coming because I truly do believe they work...

Be Grateful

So, through my many many trials over the past year or so, I've had some doubts about things and where I should be in my life. I've wanted to be angry and I've wanted to just stop in my tracks and wallow in my so-called despair. You know, what good does it do to ponder on the bad things that happen in life? Yes, I've had many struggles and continue to have them, but also have SO many good things in my life to be grateful for. As I see it, you have two choices. You can look at your "problems" as trials to learn from and grow from, or you can turn your back on opportunities for building faith and compassion for others that may someday be in a similar situation. When I found out Riley would have hydrocephalus, I honestly wanted Heavenly Father to just make it go away and have Riley be born completely "normal." What I didn't realize at the time was that Heavenly Father was giving me a gift and was giving me a learning experience to grow from spiritually and in a lot of ways, emotionally. As I've started to look at things in that light, my life has been a lot easier. It's easier to have faith that everything will turn out for the best than it is to make yourself be angry. I truly believe that!! I have too many miracles and blessings in my life to have a bad attitude. It's just not worth it.