Thankful Thursday

Yesterday I broke down and was sobbing on the phone while I was talking to Paul. This took place while I was in the kitchen at RMH. The kids were in the play room. You know I'm stressed out and tired when I'm crying in public, as that's not like me! A lady walked over and handed me a box of tissues. When you're feeling overwhelmed, it's good to count one's blessings.

1. My mom came up to visit us today. She spent about 7 hours with us (almost all of that at the feeding clinic). She also drove 4.5 hours round trip, and she's planning to do it again tomorrow. That's a lot of driving over the course of two days! It was great to see her. Because she was here, I was able to participate in a meeting for 75 minutes (online) for work.

2. It was hot on Monday, nice on Tuesday, cool and rainy yesterday, and today it was really nice again. Since my mom was here, I was able to take Nadia to Cocoa Castle playground for about 30 minutes while she stayed with Ian at the feeding clinic. It was nice to get some fresh air! The kids also had fun playing on the playground here at RMH for about 30 minutes before dinner.

3. It was so nice to get a free haircut yesterday. I like this haircut better than the last few I've had.

4. There are SO many people who volunteer here at RMH. It's really amazing. For example, there's a man who comes and plays his guitar (background music) during dinner one day a week. There's a therapy dog here almost every night (last night was a Newfoundland). The people who do the check-in and check-out process are volunteers, volunteers cook the dinner each night, etc.

5. The food has been delicious. Nadia was thrilled that one night this week they were serving grilled cheese sandwiches, and tonight it was grilled hot dogs, hamburgers, mac and cheese, baked beans, etc., which was also a hit with her. I had a kiwi as part of my lunch three days in a row this week. I don't think ever in my life have I eaten 3 kiwis in one week before. Yum! I'm still scared to step on the scale beacuse I've been eating more pie than usual. I had a craving several weeks ago for lemon merengue pie, and that wish was granted today!

6. Ian is making progress. I think he's still going to have a long way to go after we leave here (in terms of being able to chew and swallow non-pureed food), but he's definitely made progress the past almost 3 weeks.

7. I'm extremely grateful we only have 6 days left of being in the clinic. I know some children are in the program for 5 weeks (or even more), but honestly I will say "no" if they ask me to extend his stay. I'm also very glad that tomorrow is Friday, which means we'll be home sweet home at this time tomorrow!

8. There are many things I do not like about the room we're in this week (such as the fact that the bathroom light comes on by sensor so it wakes Nadia up every time I have to pee during the night), but one thing I do like about the room is that we have a tub in our bathroom (which wasn't the case in the last two rooms). I have given the kids a bath 3 of the last 5 nights.

9. I finally got the bloodwork results today. When the nurse returned my call, she proceeded to tell me what type of blood Paul had (as in ABO/Rh). I said we know I need the Rhogam shot with every pregnancy. I don't have that type of antibody problem. I said I have Kell and Fya antibodies. She said she didn't know anything about that. I wish the people in this clinic would actually open up my file before they return a call about a specific issue. Thankfully a little later an OB (the one I really like) called back with the detailed information. The Kell antibodies aren't going to be a problem for the baby. Those must be from the transfusion I had in January 2010. The Fya (Duffy) antibodies might be a problem for the baby based on Paul's blood type. I asked what my titer level was on March 20 (as I had yet to receive that information), and she told me 8 (which is low). They will be checking my level every four weeks, which technically would be this week, but we're going to wait until the first week of May to have that done. I also will be followed by a MFM specialist throughout the pregnancy. If the baby seems to be experiencing moderate or severe fetal anemia (as detected by ultrasound), they will give the baby a transfusion via the umbilical cord. I'm glad we finally have answers after being in suspense since March 16. I'm praying for low titer levels throughout the pregnancy.

10. I'm thankful that I've been able to use personal days and sick family leave to cover 6 of the classes I've missed. I would not have had the energy to drive to and from work during this experience. When I get back, I just have one week of classes and then a week of final exams!