We are finally starting to feel a little more settled in our new place. We've got a few things to unpack, but for the most part we're done. Carlos has been working so hard at getting things unpacked and working around the house and yard. He's been helping a lot with the kids too. I'm so grateful that he is so willing to help and so good at fixing things. Our neighborhood and ward are great. There are a lot of little kids for the boys to play with and we've met some great people.
We thought that with the move, most of the major things in our life would be over with and we would be able to slow down a little and focus on school and stuff. It seems that what we plan is not always what has been planned for us.
As most of you know, right after we moved we found out that our baby has spina bifida and hydrocephelus. It was diagnosed a lot later in pregnancy but this whole pregnancy has been crazy. Yesterday we had another ultrasound with the perinatologist at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center and decided to give him as long as possible for his lungs to develop and so we scheduled a ceserean at the U of U hospital for June 2nd. That will still be three weeks early, but his head is already measuring 40 weeks, while his body measuring about 36 1/2 weeks. My stomach was measuring 40 weeks last week when I was only 34 weeks. They said I also have a lot of amniotic fluid in there, so I'm just huge.
After the delivery, they will take him over to Primary Children's and there he will be evaluated on several things by several different specialists. Then they operate on his back to close it up, most likely 12-24 hours after the birth. He will more than likely need a shunt, but that will probably be put in after the back surgery. There are so many unknowns right now and we'll just have to wait until he's born to determine the severity of the lesion and everything else.
We met with a neurologist at Primary Children's today who explained everything to us. We also took a little tour of the University Hospital's mother's recovery unit (let's just say it's not nice and new like the hospital in Provo) but I imagine I will be over at Primary Children's as much as possible and shouldn't have to stay too long there. For those who don't know, the two hospitals are connected and I'll be having the baby at University Hospital so that he can be taken right over to Primary Children's. Carlos will be able to be with him the whole time, except when he's in surgery. Unless there are other complications, he probably won't have to be in NICU -- even with having to have surgery. They don't expect his hospital stay to be too long but until he's born we won't know everything.
This is so crazy and right now all I can do is to take things matter of factly, as they are, and go from there. If I dwell on specifics, I start to panic and freak out. I know that there will be really hard days and that I won't be as stoic (or hard-hearted) as I am now but I have too much to do to sit around and think about it and feel sorry for myself. There is nothing else that I can do right now, at least not until he's born. Maybe that's when all of the emotions will come flooding in, I don't know.
I do know that there is a plan for me and for my family and that I have to accept Heavenly Father's will. I hope that I am strong enough to do that and to do everything that will be required of me. Right now I don't know what will happen or how I will react.
Thank you everyone for your faith, thoughts and prayers. We have felt strength and peace and I think that is in large part thanks to all of you.
