No, I still haven’t had the baby. But I have better news than that.

We took Liam back to the neurosurgeon to get his MRI results - the ones that the doctor scared us with by refusing to talk about it on the phone and insisting to see our little boy. The news was all good though. In the 5 month interval between MRIs, the tumor showed no sign of change! It stayed the same! As in, no growth.

The new prognosis? We’ll do a CT scan (not an MRI) in a whopping 18 months and consult the neurosurgeon again at that point. That’s right - we get to wait a year and a half before there’s any need to do anything! And at that point, we’ll be hoping for no significant growth again.

This is the best news ever!

I’ve called the doctor’s office every day since Liam’s MRI. Every day they’ve told me the same thing… The doctor is in surgery, someone will call you when he gets out of surgery. (I have a feeling he’s gotten out of surgery a few times since I started calling. Just a hunch.)

Today they called back. “It’s nothing to be alarmed about, but the doctor will need to discuss this with you in person.” And somehow, that shouldn’t be alarming. So again we wait. Until April 2nd. I’ve been having some pretty strong contractions since I got the phone call. But at this point I don’t know if they’re labor contractions, another bout of false labor, or just pure stress wrecking havoc on my body. But since my little false labor episode, I’m not letting contractions get my hopes up.

Now if only I can keep this baby’s birth from interfering with Little Man’s appointment with the neurosurgeon next week, and Bean’s birthday 2 days after that.

Today was the big day, and a big day it was. A stressful, hard day. And we’re very happy that it’s over.

I think this was his hardest MRI so far. First off, he knew where we were, he knew why we were there, and he remembered what happens there. As if that memory and anticipation wasn’t hard enough, they were delayed by 2 hours. And 2 hours for a very scared boy who hasn’t been allowed to eat or drink is an eternity.

When they were finally ready for him, we got the ‘best’ nurse for his IV, but she failed twice. After that she called in the “IV team” - they thankfully got him on their first try. But the whole ordeal of putting in the IV took over 45 minutes of traumatic screaming.

The good news is that this time there were no complications - once sedated he skated through the MRI and woke up easily. He’s a trooper.

I woke up yesterday and grinned. I was having contractions every 6 minutes. Angels were singing in my bedroom. I got up and finished packing the diaper bag, and by then the contractions were coming every 5 minutes. Oh happy day!

But wouldn’t you know it? My very last contraction came as I walked through the door of the hospital. Yes, performance anxiety must have set in. It was declared to be false labor, and after several hours of monitoring and a handful of tests, I was sent home, mostly contraction-free.

Hopefully this is a sign that actual labor is imminent. But, I won’t complain if it waits another day - today is Liam’s MRI, and it would be awfully inconvenient for my water to break while my toddler is fully anesthetized.

Liam’s next MRI is March 19th. Please be in prayer with us that this one would go more smoothly than the last. Wisdom for the anesthesiologist, to know which anesthesia will be best for Liam considering his other medications. And that little Liam’s lungs would be clear, strong, and healthy going in this time.

I’m nervous about this one, seeing as how the last was a disaster. But thankfully, we were able to schedule it on a day that Hubbs will be in town, so again, I won’t have to go it alone.

Was unsuccessful.

Yes, they got the IV in on the first stick. It was somewhat traumatic, but it could have been worse. Once they got him sedated and into the MRI he started wheezing and his vitals dropped. They were worried enough about his breathing that they stopped the MRI and woke him up.

We have to wait until his wheezing and cough stop, then reschedule the MRI, and start all over from scratch. Poor kid. He’s a trooper.

Little Man has his next MRI tomorrow morning. That means fasting from 4AM, with no clear liquids after 8AM. Hate that. But what I hate worse is the IV anesthetic. Thankfully I have a wonderful hubby who canceled a business trip so that I wouldn’t have to do this alone.

1 Peter 3:7 says something about the wife being the ‘weaker’ partner in the marriage. I’m tempted to take offense at that, but on days like this, I take great comfort in the fact that I have hubbs’ strong shoulder to lean on, and I have the freedom to be weak.  It really is an awesome concept.

And really, once we get through the inserting of the IV in Little Man’s rolling veins (I’m praying that they get it on the first stick), the next big hurdle is waiting for the phone call from the neurosurgeon. I’m thinking we’ll hear something in 2 days - on Valentine’s Day. I’m not too worried - he’s been developing well, growing well, and his head growth has slowed down into the normal range. His seizures have stopped, and he seems mostly like any normal 2-yr old.

God is good. I’m just hoping and praying He amazes the doctors tomorrow with His goodness - may they all be shockede at the overwhelming good results from the MRI!

Little Man has pneumonia. He had it 6 weeks ago. He has it again. Thank goodness for mama’s instinct though. Just like 6 weeks ago when he didn’t seem that bad, I knew something just wasn’t right. So I convinced the doctor that he had to be seen immediately, even though he didn’t look so bad. Even though he seemed relatively happy and playful. I knew this was more than a cold.

Moral of the story? New moms, and moms who doubt themselves (though don’t we all?): trust yourself. Trust your instinct. You know your kids better than their pediatrician does.

I took Bean to the doctor today. Her fever shot back up, she was lethargic, and seemed to be struggling for breath. And after last night’s febrile seizure, I was concerned. (She’s fine now. Doped up, but fine.) Side note: Why is it that kids get so sick on the weekend when regular doctors are off and urgent care centers charge such high rates?

The funny thing is, when I told the nurse today about her febrile seizure last night, the nurse was scandalized by the fact that I didn’t rush her to the E.R. But then I told her about Liam and how know the ins and outs of seizures. And I went through the ‘logic’ behind my decision to keep her home. Her seizure lasted under 3 minutes and didn’t involve convulsions, making it rather mild as seizures go. The lethargy afterwards lasted for 12 minutes, then she was alert. She completely recovered from it before settling into a peaceful slumber. Why would I disturb her sleep only to have her poked and prodded for hours - only to find that her febrile seizure was harmless and didn’t require medical attention, just like 99.9% of febrile seizures under 3 minutes?

Before my explanation, the nurse’s expression was one of disapproving incredulity at my ‘neglect’ for my daughter’s precarious situation. After I explained, the nurse gave me an “Oh, yeah, that makes sense,” complete with smile and gentle nod of the head. Approval gained. And somehow, the approval of a medical professional can make a mommy feel so much better.

Well, the 3 1/2 weeks of health were a blessing to be thankful for. But we seem to have entered the second edition of fall fevers. Bean complained most of the day about various aches and pains, but she was in a great mood, so I assumed it was all a ploy for attention. Until bath time. When the fever spiked. Unfortunately I didn’t have a thermometer when it happened, so I don’t know how high it was. But by the time hubby got home with a brand new thermometer, 45 minutes had passed since I doped her up on Motrin, and it was a mere 102.8.

At its highest point she was in and out of consciousness, which is a definite sign of a febrile seizure. This is her second. But, the silver lining is that they say kids who have febrile seizures have a tendency to become smarter than their peers. So, watch out world - she’s had 2. I guess that puts her in the category of genius-to-be.

Only one question now. What’s up with my kids and seizures?