Curve Ball

At Brooklynn's 9 month checkup several weeks ago, after the pediatrician did her exam, she said she wanted to talk to Joe and me about something.  She said that she suspected that the soft spot on the top of Brooklynn's head had fused prematurely.  She said she could be wrong, but she wanted us to take her to have a CT Scan done to make sure.  Better safe than sorry.  She told us if her skull had fused,  it would most likely require surgery.  They would need to go in and cut it to allow room for her brain to grow.  If it wasn't corrected, the head wouldn't expand for the brain to grow, so her brain would just push out and cause her head to be oddly shaped, and it would mess with the symmetry of her face.  She said there would just be a small scar, and that it was a minor surgery.

I think Joe and I were both surprised!  Not really something we were expecting to hear.  I know it gave me a little anxiety, and I'm sure Joe felt that way too.  Brooklynn's head shape is just like Joe's when he was a baby, so in all honesty I was expecting to take her to have the CT Scan, just to find out that everything was fine.  I called and scheduled the appointment for a week and a half later when Joe could be there with me.  

On the way to Texas Children's Hospital

 Once we got the paper work filled out, we waited about 45 minutes until they called us back.  

Hanging out in the waiting room

So glad Daddy was there!

 When they finally called us back, my heart started racing!  I wasn't really sure how Brooklynn was going to react.  Luckily I had scheduled her appointment around her naps, so she was happy as could be.  From the time they called us back, until the time we were walking out, was probably only about 15 minutes.  They had me lay Brooklynn on the bed, and then the lady swaddled her with a blanket, and then put this material over her to keep her held down, and to protect her from radiation.  Joe and I were both asked to put on vests to protect us, and then we were allowed to stay right next to her the entire time.  That was such a relief!

 They put a towel over brooklynn's forehead and around the sides of her face,  and then used a strap to hold her head down and keep it from moving.

The scan itself took less than a minute, and thankfully Brooklynn was relatively calm and did better than I was anticipating.  You can see the lights they flash up on the machine to keep the kids entertained.  Worked like a charm!

After they finished the scan, they said we should contact our pediatrician after 24 hours to get the results.  So, we went about the rest of our day.  We went to an Asian Supermarket to pick up some stuff for dinner that night, and while we were there I got a call from a number I didn't recognize.  When I answered, it was our pediatrician.  She said she had received the results, and it was what she had suspected.  Brooklynn's head had fused, so she would need to go see a specialist and have surgery.  I was in an aisle by myself, and I couldn't help but start to cry.  Those weren't the words I was expecting to hear.  Joe came around the corner and I think he immediately knew.  Needless to say, our hearts were heavy after that.  The pediatrician told me not to cry, that everything would be ok and this was something that was fixable.  There was hope in her words.  I took comfort in the fact that she would just have a small scar, and that it was something that could be fixed.

Over the next couple of days Joe did some research online, and told me "don't google it."  Well, you don't have to tell me twice.  He knew I would get freaked out.  I'm sure he was looking at extreme cases, but I knew I didn't need to have images flashing through my head at night.  One thing he did say is that he found out that they could only do the procedure endoscopically up until 4 months, so she would likely have a scar the length of her head.  When he told me, I was in the middle of dinner or something and didn't really think much about it.  The next day though, it's all I could think about.  I just cried and cried thinking about my sweet baby girl having to be sedated and undergo surgery.  Let alone, one that would leave a huge scar across her head.  Whenever I looked at her, it just made it worse because I would  think things like "her little head is going to have a huge scar soon", or "they're going to have to shave off all of her hair that has taken so long to grow."  I just couldn't shake the sadness that day for some reason.  I think it just finally hit me that my baby was going to need surgery.  I ended up showering, and getting right back into my jammies.  It was one of those days.  I think I cried until I didn't have any more tears left.  My sweet sister-in-law, Shelby,  came over and brought these beautiful tulips, a box of chocolates, and a magazine to help take my mind off of things.  Her visit totally changed my day from that point on.  I didn't cry anymore that day.

 Our pediatrician referred us to a surgeon that didn't have any openings until the 25th of this month!  Not knowing what Brooklynn's case was, or what would need to happen was driving me a little crazy.  Joe's brothers are both in the medical field and were so sweet to try and find out more information for us.  James asked if we would be willing to go see someone if they had an earlier appointment available.  He ended up finding a team at Texas Children's Hospital.  I called Monday, and they had an opening today!  Joe was able to get off work, and went with us.  Meeting these doctors was seriously an answer to prayer.  I had been praying that we would know which doctors and direction we should go, and that we would know by the way we felt.  From the moment we were called back, everyone was so kind and so sweet.  The Plastic Surgeon, the Neurosurgeon, and a dr from the neurosurgeon team all came in and met with us!  They answered all of our questions, and explained everything very clearly.  They spent quite a bit of time with us, and never once did they make us feel like we were keeping them from other things.  We told them who we had been referred to, and asked what the benefits would be of having the surgery done with them instead.  The Neurosurgeon explained that this is their specialty.  The Plastic Surgeon had done a fellowship dealing with things just like this.  The other surgeon we had been referred to did not specialize in this, it was something he just did also.  She also said they have a team including a plastic surgeon, a neurosurgeon, a neuro team, an anesthesiologist, etc that work together on these surgeries all the time.  She also said the follow up care would be a lot better also.  She said Texas Childrens' is the biggest Children's hospital in the country, and they understand these are our babies, so they give the best care possible.   Joe and I both felt really good, and decided these are the doctors we want working on our baby.

The sagittal suture that runs down the top of Brooklynn's head has fused prematurely, which will cause her head to be long and narrow as her brain grows because there isn't room for it to grow.  It has caused a ridge on the top of her head, where it fused, and her forehead sticks out more than normal, and will only continue to get worse if we don't correct it.  They did say that her case is a lot better than most that they have seen, as far as the look of her head.

So, what they will do is sedate her, then cut her head open from ear to ear, using kind of a zigzag line because it will hide the scar in her hairline better down the road.  She will undergo roughly a 4 hour surgery where they will cut the suture open and use plates and bolts that will absorb, to hold her skull together.  It will eventually refuse but not for years. They are also going to essentially reconstruct her forehead.  There can be a lot of bleeding, so there's a 50 percent chance she will need a blood transfusion.  Joe and I will both be tested to see if we are a match. They said there will be a LOT of swelling in the days following the surgery, and she will stay in ICU for a couple of days to be closely monitored, and will spend a total of about 5 days in the hospital.  I will be able to stay with her the entire time after the surgery.  Later down the road she will wear a helmet for a couple of months to help shape the back of her head.  They want to do this instead of doing it surgically, because they think this way will work just fine.  

 I'm sure it will absolutely break my heart to watch her go through all of this(it kills me just to think about it), but I have to think of the bigger picture and that it will all be worth it in the end.  This wasn't really the way I thought we would start our year!  We definitely got thrown a curve ball, but I am very very grateful that it's not something worse.  I have really been thinking a lot about parents who have to constantly deal with things much worse than this.  I can only imagine the emotional toll it takes.

I'm sure the road ahead will be draining, but we have learned to accept our trials and to try and learn what we can as we go through them.  I'm sure we will be relying on our Heavenly Father even more during this time.    Shelby shared a quote with me the other day that will stay with me. "The Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God cannot protect you."  Any prayers in Brooklynn's behalf would be GREATLY appreciated!  We find out Friday when they will do the surgery.

At the Dr's office today

Cutest little teeth!

Love this girl more than words can express!

9 Months!

Christmas 2013

The Christmas Season came and went way too quickly.  It felt like we picked out our tree(which we did the Saturday after Thanksgiving), we did fun things like visit Santa, look at Christmas Lights, and make yummy goodies to give to neighbors and friends.......

and then all of the sudden it was Christmas Eve!  We went out on a family date for Chinese Food(pretty much all that was open, besides fast food.) Then we came back to the house and had some fun!  I love making gingerbread houses but it's not something Joe is too fond of.  He did sit down for a few minutes, just to humor me.  When his train wouldn't stick together though, he just got frustrated and squirted the frosting all over it.  It was short lived to say the least!=)  Brooklynn helped me for a few minutes, but then she got bored, and the candies were a choking hazard.... so I spent a few minutes working on my house all alone, just to feel some joy!=)  My sister is definitely the best one to do gingerbread houses with, because she actually enjoys doing it too!

After that, we opened our one present(which is always new jammies)

Brooklynn even helped unwrap hers!

Before Brooklynn went to bed we made sure to leave out some cookies for Santa and Carrots for the Reindeer.  I made this plate for Brooklynn this year.  Gotta love my Silhouette Machine!=)  

Sadly, Santa got some pre-baked cookies from the freezer(although they are fabulous cookies).  It ended up being nice though because Brooklynn decided that the cookies looked too good not to try one!  Luckily it was frozen, so she didn't end up getting much of a bite!  I seriously could not stop laughing at her.  She had a death grip on that cookie!

Funny that she never once tried to go after the carrots!=)  

Before bed, I put her by the tree for one last time before Christmas was over.  I really did not want it to end this year! She just loves looking at it, touching it, and playing with the ornaments.  

Our First Christmas with Brooklynn was a lot of fun!  I'm sure when she's a little bit older and can actually understand it, it will be even more exciting!  I remember as a child, we always had to wait Christmas Morning to go downstairs until my dad had the video camera rolling.  We started that tradition this year with Brooklynn.  I'm sure we will cherish those moments for years to come.  

This year she did more than I thought she would, and would actually rip the wrapping paper off of presents once we got it started. There was a lot of sucking on tags and ribbon too.

Joe had an A&M Christmas!  He got a hoodie, a hat, and a jersey.  The guy couldn't have been happier.  Santa also brought him a Food Saver!  Seriously not something I would ever ask for for Christmas, but he has wanted one for a while now.  He makes his own jerky every now and then and wants to seal it in those bags.  He also loved sealing up some meat for me before we froze it!  Whatever floats your boat!=)  

Every year we buy a family gift.  Something that benefits us all.  This year I really wanted to get a nice camera so that we could capture Brooklynn's childhood.  The photos from my iphone just weren't cutting it.  Especially when I tried printing them!

So Joe was sweet and bought a Nikon Camera!  Totally stoked about it!  Now I just have to learn how to use it.  I'm wishing I would have taken some photography classes, so I would know how to actually take good pics!  Definitely something I need to learn!

My sweet parents gave us a Bissell Green Machine!  I was really excited about that gift too!  I can't tell you how many messes my mom cleaned up using that thing when we were growing up!  With a baby, it was something I have been wanting.  Gotta love it when parents read your mind!=)  Funny thing is we used it the next day when Brooklynn peed on the rug while I was changing her diaper!  So glad we had it!=)

Brooklynn loved playing on the box!

Later that day we actually got out of our pjs and got ready to have some friends and family over for dinner!

On the years we are here in Texas for Christmas, we love having any family and friends over that are sticking around and don't have anywhere else to go.  I'm sure it's the way I was raised, but I love being surrounded by loved ones on the holidays.  It's a good excuse to get together and relax, enjoy one another's company, and eat yummy food!  It's become a tradition to just line up 3 tables in our living/dining area and squeeze as many people in as we can!  Of course I always get wrapped up in getting the food served and making sure everyone is happy, that EVERY year I forget to take pictures of everyone at the table together. So sad!!  Maybe next year I'll actually remember!

These were the tables all lined up, and ready for the party to begin!

I found a cute and inexpensive center piece idea on Pintrest last year, and finally got to make it come to life this year.

This was last Christmas, 23 weeks pregnant!  Crazy how much has changed since then!  My life is so much different now, but it's also so much better!  I had no idea then, how much that sweet baby girl growing inside me would change my life!

We sure are crazy about this sweet little girl!  We could have never dreamed how much we would love her!

Hope everyone had a great 2013 Christmas Season.  Happy 2014!!!

Berg Family Christmas

Last Saturday we celebrated Christmas with the Berg side of the family.  Bob and Sharon recently moved about 4 miles from us, and were willing to host everyone at their new home.  It was so much fun to all get together!  Susan and her family were sick, so we missed them.  We also missed Krissy and her family.  There was a lot of good food and great company, and I think we all really enjoyed our time together!  Bob and Sharon were wonderful hosts and had everything set up so nicely, and really made everyone feel welcome.

After we ate, we had the first annual Berg Talent Show.  Addie and Jack played the piano, and they did such a wonderful job.  One of the cutest things was seeing Jacks little feet swinging back and forth as he played this big baby grand piano.  He's so little that his feet don't even come close to touching the floor when he's sitting on the piano bench!  So cute!!

Maggie and Chloe sang Jingle Bells, and it was also super cute!

Sharon's talent was playing the guitar while we all sang Christmas songs together.  I have never seen her play before, so it was a treat.

After the talent show, the kids all went into grandma and grandpa's room to get dressed in their costumes to perform the nativity.  This was the first time they have done this for our family, and it was definitely a highlight of mine.  I couldn't stop smiling, and quietly chuckling.  CUTEST THING EVER!!! Maggie played Mary, Jack was Joseph, Grayson was the star, Chloe and Kylie were angels, and Addie was a wise man (or woman=) ), and Grandpa Bob was the narrator. 

Brooklynn made her debut as Baby Jesus this year, and she was proud to play the part!=) She kept making me laugh because she kept trying to pull Maggie's headpiece off.  Poor Mary=)

Shelby made Grayson a star to hold up.  I love his big smile in this pic!  Sharon has a gleeful smile also!=)  Grayson kept making me laugh because he kept accidentally whacking Mary and Joseph with his star. He's doing a great job in this pic though! It was all so fun to watch!

After the Nativity Scene, all the kiddos had a cousin gift exchange.

Brooklynn got some fun new blocks!  She loves them!  Thanks Addie!

Then Grandma and Grandpa gave the kids gifts.  There was a LOT of excitement during this time!  It was so fun to watch all of their reactions as they opened art sets, race car tracks, dolls, and Minnie and Hello Kitty books & dolls.  

Brooklynn loves being around her cousins.  These girls love each other so much!

 Grandma and Grandpa had the biggest surprise a little bit later!  Santa showed up!!!!  Grayson saw him walking up to the door and he got SO excited!  He was running around saying "Santa's here!!"  He had a new book for every child, and he let each one take a turn on his lap telling him what they wanted for Christmas.  Brooklynn was first since she's the youngest.  She is so fun to watch!  She just stared at him at first.

Then she kicked back and got comfy!  So cute!!!

Here's a pic with Santa and all the kiddos, except Brooklynn.  She was really noisy and tired about half way through everyone sitting on Santa's lap, so she went down for a nap.  

 It was such a wonderful day!  It's sad how quickly the time always passes when we are all together.  Thank you so much to Bob and Sharon for all you did to make it a memorable Christmas!  They are planning on serving a mission, so they will most likely not be with us next Christmas.  We'll miss you, but we're so proud of you for taking the time to go and serve!