Oh, baby!

Oh, baby...Oh, baby!

I thought I would type a quick update to keep you all informed on how Baby Spencer and I are doing. As of my last update I was having some cramping. I did end up going to the OB. They checked me over and decided to do a non-stress test. The baby wasn't moving a whole lot during the test. They had me eat some crackers, drink cold water, and finally put a radio up to my belly. Having one of these brought back a lot of memories since we had them every week with Olivia the last trimester. After still barely getting Baby to move and having an episode where they weren't sure if his heart rate decelerated or if it was the monitors, they decided to order an ultrasound. I was a bit nervous, but knew he was OK. The ultrasound looked good. The doctor felt I just need to take it slow. Maybe it was my body's way of saying, “Hey, you're pregnant here!” She also said Baby's head was “very, very low” when she checked me and this could be causing a lot of the cramping and uncomfortable feelings I'm having. After talking with the doctor and my supervisor at work, we decided that instead of me working three 10 hour days, I would work three 4 hour days for the next few weeks and then probably start my leave if he hasn't arrived yet. When I went to the OB again Monday I was measuring 38 (I was 36.5 at the time). We are just taking things a week at a time and Baby Spencer will be here shortly!
I know Olivia is excited, as are the rest of us! It's been really hard for me trying to take it easy while I'm not working as much. I still have so much I want to do! However, I did get my bag packed and have had Steve and Gram help me get some things...




37 weeks...and I thought I was getting a belly at 16 weeks. Ha ha ha ha ha!

Happy Birthday!

Last Monday we had our cardiology appointment in Iowa City. We woke-up, got dressed, grabbed our favorite cow “Otis,” and hit the road...


Once we got there they directed us to Xray. Olivia roamed the hall as usual while we waited.

The girls could not believe how much Olivia had grown. She whizzed through the xray like a pro and did exactly what they asked. Sticker #1 accomplished.

Next we headed back to cardiology and had our blood pressure and SATS taken. Livi's SATS were in the mid 80's, which is great for her anatomy right now. We also got a height and weight. Just over 29 lbs (not sure what the final height ended up being). Sticker #2 accomplished. After that we went back to our room to wait for the echo. Child Life brought in some toys to keep Miss Livi-Pie occupied.


The nurse came in a little while later to give Olivia some Chloral Hydrate to sedate her. This is what she usually has, which works wonderful...However, she spit out every last drop! We decided to go ahead and try it without the sedation. Daddy and I took turns laying on the bed, keeping her company.

Of course, Olivia fussed and protested but the tech was able to see what she needed to and report her findings to Dr. Law. He came in a little while later to go over things. He said right now the Xray shows her heart size as stable. The echo revealed the function of the ride side of her heart (the only side) was good and she still has the mild-moderate leak in her tricuspid valve. Overall, not much has changed from her last work-up. Taking a look at her growth pattern, Dr. Law felt that if she continued to gain weight at the same rate and did not have any cardiac issues, she would be at the recommended size for her next open-heart surgery at 4 ½. Wow! When Olivia was first born they told us to expect this next surgery around 3. Then at our last visit it sounded like closer to 4. Now, 4 ½! Wahoo!!!

Since Olivia was such a good girl at her visit, the nurse let her look through their super cool prize chest and pick something out. Of course, she picked the recorder...and played it all through the hospital!


My appointment with OB was right after. Things looked good on this end. They weren't sure about his placement, so they did a quick ultrasound and found his head to be down. They had felt a bump by my ribs, which ended up being his bottom! Otherwise, they were going to try and turn him. Whew!

We spent most of last week cleaning, putting up decorations for the party, and baking.

I gave Olivia her own bowl and she dished up some super special cupcakes of her own.


On Saturday we had Olivia's 3rd Birthday Party!





She got a lot of cool presents. Everyone was very generous, as usual!




Mama, Daddy, and Gram and Grandpa McClenning even got her the big kitchen she'd been asking for. It was a big hit with all of the kiddos...


and Daddy!




Ellie, Olivia, & Carter. All of these three cuties have the same rare, complex heart condition (HLHS).

On Sunday we had the annual Heart Friends Picnic in Coralville. Although the weather was a bit cold and misty we still had a good time seeing her fellow heart families and doctors.

Olivia and her heart buddies


Miss Olivia heading into the bouncy house





Monday was Olivia's actual birthday. Gram took the day off and we decided to let Olivia have a day to do whatever she wanted. When she woke-up her first request was some chicken noodle soup for breakfast. I smiled and got it ready for the princess. Next we put on our birthday outfit, packed a picnic, and picked up Gram. Olivia decided she wanted to spend the day at Old MacDonald's farm.






She spent the day looking at animals and playing on the toys.






About 4 hours later (Whew!) we dropped Gram off and went home to see Daddy. Him and Grandpa Spencer took us out for some Birthday Ice cream! Later that night Liv wanted to go look at pumpkins so we headed out to Sander's Pumpkin Farm (our yearly tradition). It was a little early this year, so we let Olivia pick out some mini-pumpkins and look at the animals.





16 mini pumpkins, and two gourds later we were on our way home!

It ended up being a perfect birthday weekend for Miss Olivia. Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers for our angel this past week with her cardiology appointment as well. Also, I would like to ask you all to say a few prayers for me. On Sunday night I started having some cramping, which has not gone away. I get these 2-4 times an hour and they are slightly painful. I called the doctor and they said if I am having contractions every 15 minutes I'm probably not in labor, but my body may be preparing itself for labor here in the future. They said to keep my feet up, count baby's movements, and time the contractions. If there are any changes to call immediately. They want me to come in first thing on Friday if it has not gotten any better. I called in to work today and have spent the entire day in bed....Actually, that's where I'm writing this from! However, I really do need to get back to work tomorrow. Please pray for me to feel better and for things to go well. I am 36 weeks now, so it isn't too early...

I will leave you all with Olivia's 3 year pics we took the other day.

Well, it's been awhile...

I know in my last update I promised to fill you all in on our excitement this summer. Sorry, it's been so long...With a rambunctious toddler, all my appointments, and our many home renovations going on, time just got away from me!

We've still been trying to juggle our weekly therapy appointments in Iowa City amongst our hustle and bustle, since it's so important for Olivia's development. She is still making slow, but steady progress with “Lefty.” Her range of motion and being able to grasp with her pointer and her thumb have improved dramatically.



We still need to work on the ability to turn her arm and her fine motor skills. Melissa (Olivia's therapist) has made a few different braces over the past 2 years for us to use. One brace we put on her right arm, which actually blocks her from using the right, forcing her to refine her skills with the left. However, she usually has that brace ripped off within a matter of minutes! Melissa said another approach they use with stroke patients is actually casting their right arm. This is something to keep in mind, but I don't think we are quite ready for that approach yet. With Olivia's stubbornness I'm afraid she'd just shut down and quit trying all together. Another thing we've been working on is steering a trike with both hands. Olivia loves this!



Olivia has been a big helper around the house. She's helping me paint some canvases for the baby's room and helping her Daddy with all of his home improvement projects. So far he has pulled up some carpet, refinished the hard wood floors, painted rooms, dry walled a room in the basement, and dry walled a second bathroom. Here is Miss Livi-Pie helping her Daddy paint the toy room. We decided to change out the old purple walls for a nice yellow (Go Hawks!). Very universal...




While Daddy refinished the wood floors Olivia and I had to leave the house for an entire weekend. We took this opportunity and had ourselves a mini-vaca! First we had a slumber party over at Gram's where we watched movies and did our nails. Then the next morning we drove to Bettendorf to see Auntie Melissa and Emma. They took us to the Niabi Zoo over in IL. Of course Olivia just loved this!


Hey, look at me riding an elephant!


Gram and I taking in all the animals


Just “monkeying” around with Mama



Oh boy, a real pony ride! Hope Mama can keep up with me and this horse!

After this we met up with Great Grandma Brewer and Aunt Tee. We followed them to an awesome new pizza and buffet in Davenport. On the way there Olivia fell asleep in the car. I carried her inside and saw how cool this place was!





To my disappointment this child would not wake-up, I tried and tried. Liv usually isn't a very sound sleeper, but between all of the excitement and the heat, she was out for the count!



Thankfully, just as we were getting ready to leave Olivia woke-up. Just in time for the rides!





Now we were ready for a little shopping and then headed back to Melissa's.



The next day we had a reunion on Steve's side, so we got up, got ready and hit the road. We went from Bettendorf straight to the festivities. Olivia has a great time seeing the donkey, dogs, and of course (her favorite) going for a horse ride!





After this we headed to Cedar Falls to stay in a hotel and go swimming while the smell from the clear coat diminished at home. Olivia loved our room, she said the shower was 'her house' and spent a lot of time in there.


She also got to eat plenty of chocolate and watch some cartoons.



This was one heck of a busy weekend, but I'm sure it was one of Olivia's favorites!

We've also been trying to keep up with our play dates before things get even busier around here. One day we met Ellie and Carter at the park in Marion. The kids had a blast climbing around.







Olivia even went down the big twirly slide all by herself (As I've said before, this girl isn't afraid of anything!).




Can anyone say static electricity! Ha ha!

On Monday we have our 6 month check-up with Cardiology. We've got our echo (which they've decided to do sedated since Liv has the white coat fear and they only do them once a year), EKG, X ray, and labs...Yep, the works! I've also got my OB appointment when we're finished....Should be interesting! Please pray for great results and that surgery will be postponed for another year!

Also, Miss Livi-Pie will be turning three (I know, right?!) the Monday after! I will most likely do a post about our visit and her party sometime after that. However, if there is anything of major concern I will be sure to let you all know.

Our carefree girl....