Fiesta Friday

Ole!

It's been a fun week, and we finished with a flourish as we celebrated Fiesta Friday with some South of the Border food and fun, and of course, a much needed "siesta" for each of us! Hope you all had a wonderful week as well!

Sweet Home Southern Thursday

Today we celebrated Thursday with a Sweet Home South theme. And what better way to begin the day than a dip in the ocean...and since that's not available in West Michigan, how about a swim with the Sternbergs at the Grand Village Inn pool. Even better - no jellyfish!

Joe, Claire, Mike, Andrew and Gracie swimming
in the ocean...er, pool.

...and Sylvia, too!

After swimming, we made and enjoyed snow cones (Side note for sweet Sylvia who asked for the recipe: add flavored syrup to crushed ice - your mom will know how to do it!). And we also cooked up a good ol' fashioned southern dinner, complete with country music.

Wednesday in Washington D.C.

*** Welcome to Wednesday in Washington D.C. ***

Our day was filled with patriotic food and fun, including an All-American breakfast with our friends the Harts and a patriotic piano recital by Joe, but we also took the opportunity to fulfill our civic duty of filing our taxes. So proud to be an American!

While we didn't get to mingle with President Obama in the Oval Office, we had a great day in Grand Rapids. Come back tomorrow for our Thursday adventures.

A Tropical Tuesday

Aloha from our living room!

While we have been anticipating Spring Break for some time, unfortunately our circumstances of life (i.e. Claire's potty training and Jen's pregnancy) prohibit us from traveling too far from home. So we have devised a plan to bring vacation to us.

Today, for example, has been declared Tropical Tuesday. We started the day with fresh squeezed orange juice and ended the day with homemade Hawaiian pizza, and indulged in other tropical treats along the way. We even turned our living room into an oasis and, of course, boogied to some Beach Boys!

Stay tuned to see what Wednesday has in store...

Let the Countdown Begin!

Me and Baby at 30 weeks.

It's official -- 55 Days and counting until baby boy Puplis will be born. My C-Section date has been set for May 17th at 11:30, which is later than originally thought, but the doctors (my OBGYN, the pediatric surgeon and the Neonatologist) consulted and agreed it's best for me to be as close to full term as possible. So that puts me at only 3 days before my due date, but baby and I are going to try really hard to make that happen! Nonetheless, I am certainly counting down the days on fingers and toes - I have to use Joe's and Claire's, too, for now. I'm sure many of you can understand, in what seems like the looonnnngggest pregnancy ever, it is nice to have an end in sight.

The Neonatologist

Hello everyone. As I mentioned Friday, I had the opportunity to visit the new Helen DeVos Children's Hospital to meet with a Neonatologist, a pediatrician that specializes in caring for sick newborn babies. He was helpful in explaining what life will be like after our baby is born. He made it clear it won't be without challenge. A successful surgery is just the beginning of what is often a long and tedious recovery; however, we're grateful to have the wonderful care we do.

The Pediatric Surgeon

This morning I had another ultrasound to check on Baby's growth and progress, and I tell ya, he is growing more and more handsome each time I see him.

Baby's face.

Look at those chubby cheeks!

Once again, the umbilical cord covered his face, but you can still see his little grin.

Oh, how could you not just fall in love with him?

Baby now weighs 3 lb. 4 oz, which is right about where he should be. The doctor was very positive and glad to report "no surprises" during the ultrasound, which translates as good news.

We then met with the pediatric surgeon at the hospital, which I have been anxiously awaiting. I've been eager to learn more about the surgery and the process that leads up to it. The doctor was incredibly encouraging and very patient as he explained what we can expect. He said that omphaloceles can be quite serious because of other health conditions and physical deformities that typically accompany them; however, the good news for us is the remarkable health of our baby. So at this point, the omphalocele is more of a physical nuisance rather than a serious health concern.

There's much we won't know until the baby is born, but the doctor talked us through three possible scenarios to consider. First, is the best case scenario in which the baby's condition allows him to have the hole repaired surgically about a week after he's born, after everything, including the liver, is gradually placed back in position. This is possible, but not necessarily likely due to the severity of the omphalacele. The second scenario is if there isn't enough muscle to close the hole, they could surgically implant a patch to cover the hole and then sew him up. This would take more time, but still, could hopefully be done within a month of the baby's birth. The third possible scenario is to use a multi-step patch system in which they gradually close up the hole through a series of surgeries. This could take up to a year, but that's the worst case scenario, and hopefully won't be necessary.

Ok, that was a lot of information, so thanks for hanging in there with me. To boil it down, while the process can be trying, we have every reason to believe and hope for a perfectly healthy baby boy post-surgery. The only reminder of this experience for him will be that rather than having a belly button, he'll have a scar running across his abdomen. All in all, a very promising prognosis.

Tomorrow, I will see Dr. Luce, my OBGYN, for my weekly appointment, and then Monday I'll be meeting with the neonatologist at the Children's Hospital, so I'll keep you updated on those visits as well. Thanks again for reading, for praying, and for loving us as you do.

***

...And a Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all. Hope you all enjoyed your big, sugary bowl of Lucky Charms this morning!