Popcorn with Daddy

So for the last three nights Adeline has decided to "wait for Daddy" (in her own words). I think that she is tired of other people putting her to bed and since Mommy can't she would rather wait for Daddy. She did really good for awhile but now that time is over. This is James' last night of work before his 9 day stretch of vacation.



"No more work...Daddy home" Spoken by a very happy 2 year old.



I know that there are two video's but they are both worth watching. So... enjoy a look into our late night life.

Memoirs of Emergency Surgery

After our appointment at Spectrum we were at the check out when the Doctor ran up to me. He asked me if anyone had ever talked to me about my cyst on my left ovary. I told him that I became aware that I had it when we started the InVitro process with Adeline but it didn't grow and it hadn't grown since having her. He told me that what he saw had grown over 2cm in 5 weeks since my last ultra-sound. We then went back to talk privately. He told me that what he sees is more complex than a cyst (even an Endometreoma) and that it was more a mass with septations (much more complex). He wanted to refer me to a Oncologist and quickly because if surgery was needed it would need to be done fast for the baby's sake.

Cancer? What? I have never had any pain and my cycles have always been to the day this couldn't be right. Once I get a second opinion it will show the measurements were wrong and that everything would be fine. I told him to refer me and left the office excited about our baby boy.

At 12:30 the next day I get a call from the Doctor I saw yesterday who talked to the Oncologist. He told me that he was very concerned and wanted to see me that day at 2:00. I had a hour and a half to take a shower, drop Adeline off somewhere, and make it to Grand Rapids.

I made it to my appointment by 2:15 where I sat for about 30 minutes. While I was there I watched many women walk in and out coming for their chemotherapy treatments. This is not an office I want to be sitting in. Once I was called in I was given a complete physical exam and then had a consult with the Doctor. He was concerned that I was by myself and wanted to make sure what information they gave me I understood.

He proceeded to tell me that what he saw if seen on a 50 year old woman would be considered cancer until tested otherwise. Since I am 28 my risk wasn't as high but because of all the septations in the mass it did not look good. If I chose to have the surgery it would need to be done soon like the next day at 1:30. Week 18-20 is the best time to operate with the least risk to baby. If I chose not to have the surgery I would run the chance of having an ovarian torsion which could cause miscarriage around weeks 24-25 and also if it was cancer it would be that much longer until treated. I didn't find the decision very hard to make. But a lot had to happen and it needed to happen fast.

I left the Doctors office at 4 and needed to return to the hospital by 7 to be admitted. I needed to call and get James out of work, pick Adeline up (thank you Misty), find someone to watch her over night (or for longer), pack a bag and head back to Grand Rapids. Did I mention that I was just told that I might have cancer? James got out of work as soon as I called him and picked up Adeline. I called Mom Bean and asked her if she could watch Adeline. She was in Lansing about to go pick up her new car. She asked when I needed her and I said in about an hour and a half. With no hesitation she said she would be on her way.

Okay...that was done. I came home cleaned the house up, gave Adeline a bath, packed both she and I and sat down on the couch. I decided that I would not let my mind race to places it shouldn't and that my primary concern was for Andrew and his safety. He didn't need me going crazy. I would remain calm for him.

Grandma arrived, we gave our kisses and then we were off.

I checked in a little after 7 and had an MRI scheduled for 9:30. The MRI would be a more detailed second opinion and would show that if there was cancer if any of it had spread to my abdominal cavity or lymph nodes. The MRI took about 45 minutes and after waiting an hour we were told we wouldn't know the outcome until the next day. So now my focus was to empty my bowel and have a clean system for surgery.

The next morning we waited and waited and waited to hear what was going to happen. No one seemed to have the answers and the Doctors were in an emergency surgery. Finally at around 11:30 a Doctor came in and talked to us about the MRI. Everything besides the ovary looked good. They did decide that they would take the ovary and fallopian tube because of the complexity of the mass. The Doctor told me that he does not see this being cancer and that if it was it should be at a low stage.

At 12:30 our doctor came in to talk to us before I was taken away for preparation. He was very happy that whatever it was hadn't spread but still felt the urgency to remove it now and have it tested. His words were that you can only know so much with an external view and we need to go internal. He also told us that the mass was the size of an orange. He let us know that as I was out on the surgical table once they removed the ovary they would immediately test it and within 20 minutes they would have a 97% correct answer. James and I agreed that if it was cancer and they needed to operate more and remove more (lymph nodes, ect.) that they could and that we wanted them to do it then. Another surgery at a later date would not be safe for Andrew.

My handsome brother John came just in time to give me lots of kisses and stayed through my entire surgery as support for James. John said that he has never seen James nervous before and James said that it was nice to have someone there with him.

3 hours later the surgery was done. The mass tested positive for endometriosis and there was no Cancer. THERE WAS NO CANCER!

At about 6 I was waking up. I remember crying and being in a lot of pain. I wanted to see James and I wanted to hear the baby's heart beat. I felt my stomach and noticed an incision in the center of my chest I at that point thought that they found cancer and had to make and incision all they way up my stomach. The resident rushed over to me and let me know that things couldn't have gone any better and that there was no cancer. They also called someone down from labor and delivery with a Doppler so that I could hear Andrew. Once I was pumped with some good pain killers I was able to relax more.

During this whole time which happened so fast I got a lot of information on the surgery and our need for it. But I never asked about the recovery time. I don't know what I was thinking. What I do know is that I wasn't thinking that it would take a while to walk and go to the bathroom on my own and that I would be totally dependent on others.

Today is Saturday, I am still in the hospital hoping to be discharged tomorrow. The staff has been great, Adeline has been happy with her grand parents, and I am married to the most incredible man ever.

James has taken care of my every need. Helped me get out of bed, helped me eat, helped me in the rest room (even the dirty parts), helped me with my shower and has been by my side non stop. What an amazing man. I am so blessed. Even with 5 incisions on my stomach he still manages to make me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.

This next week I have family taking turns coming up to stay with us to help with Adeline and the week after that James is on vacation. I think we can do this. It's going to be a hard next couple of weeks but we have a great support system of family and friends.

AND....did I mention that I don't have cancer and that we are having a BOY!!!!!

p.s thanks to all of you who have sent emails, left voice mails, and even visited. Your prayers, kind words, and nice smelling gifts have really been appreciated.

Andrew Thomas-Frederick Bean

Do you see that??? That's right it is a penis!!!! We are having a boy and we couldn't be any happier. He wasn't shy at all :-)

The few days leading up to the ultra-sound weren't the easiest. We chose to do the quad test (which I had done with Adeline) and this time it came back with an abnormal reading. We were then sent to Spectrum Maternal Fetal Medicine for a more detailed ultra-sound and an amniocentesis option. We had a 4% chance that the baby had down syndrome.

You would never hear me say that I wanted a boy vs. girl, just that I wanted a healthy baby and that I was happy to be pregnant. But....part of me had this desire to have a boy and if we did there would be no need for InVitro again. When I saw the penis I just sobbed. I couldn't believe it. I really thought it was a girl. God was telling me that everything was going to be okay and that by the way I gave you a boy too.

Everything on the ultra-sound came back good. Andrew has no extra skin on his neck and has a nose bone which are true indicators of Downs. He does have a shortened Femur but nothing drastic and not enough to say he has Downs. In the Doctor's professional opinion there was no need for an amniocentesis and instead of a 4% chance we now have a 5% chance. There is a risk of miscarriage with the amniocentesis and that is something we are not willing to take at this time. If we want a 100% answer we could have the test done when I am 30 weeks running the risk of pre-term delivery. We are believing that Andrew is healthy and are trusting God with the rest.

Isn't he beautiful. I can't wait to see a little James running around. I am sure he will be naughty but Adeline will keep him in place.

Labor Day Fun....

As a Labor Day tradition we always get together with the Kingsbury clan. This year was definitely a great time with Adeline once again the center of attention. All of her cousins we very playful getting her to laugh and scream constantly. She really enjoyed her time and we really enjoyed watching her interact.

A traditional game is "BEANO" (like Bingo) were we all play and win fun prizes. Adeline won Play-Doh which we have been playing with ever since. The big blue ball was a huge hit.

Aunt Erin got Adeline a matching shirt from her trip to NY. Here are the two posing for the camera.

A very tuckered out Adeline after a long weekend. Notice the naked Ken (Nek) and Barbie. For some reason they aren't allowed to wear any clothes. At least Barbie has panties painted on. In my motherly opinion I also think Barbie should be wearing a bra and Ken should have on boxers.

Fun with Aunt Erin

Aunt Erin came up on Sunday to spend the day/night with all of us. We went to the beach for what was probably our last "beach"day and stayed for the entire afternoon/evening. It was a wonderful time. We thought we lost her Ariel and Eric characters but after looking for about fifteen minutes we found them.

Erin and Adeline made up a new game with some of her characters that provided a lot of entertainment.

Sunset

Someone was busy entertaining herself during this time.

"no, no work"

These were Adeline's words for Daddy first thing this morning before he left for work. James has been working eleven hour shifts for the last two weeks. Neither of us have seen him much and we really miss him. Today marks the last long day. We are awaiting his arrival to celebrate.

James has tomorrow off and a vacation coming soon.

"no, no work"

We are looking forward to the family time.

"One more story?"

Daily I am amazed at Adeline's vocabulary and how it continues to grow.

Story time has always been a favorite around our house. The other day while finishing our last book, I go to put it back on the shelf and hear (in the sweetest little voice)...

"One more story?"

You bet sweetie pie. How can I say no to that?

Mmmmm....Good Stuff...

This is Adeline's new line when eating something she likes. The first time she said it James, Adeline and I were in the car. Adeline was pretending like she was driving the Jeep and enjoying a bite size 3 musketeers candy bar. After her first bite she says "Mmmmmm...Good Stuff". James and I just died laughing.

Big Girl Underwear!!!!

Someone was very excited with today's purchase of Ariel and Dora panties. They look even cuter on.

We'll see how it goes. My goal is February 3, 2009 for obvious reasons:-)

What a great day!

Aunt Aleisha (Leish) and Cousin Michael came and stayed with us Tuesday night through Thursday morning. It was a blast. We had all day Wednesday together and took full advantage as you can see by all of the pictures. First we started off at the beach....

I love this shot.
Michael would run out of the water roll in the sand and then run back into the water.

Adeline is still learning to share her toys but this captures a playful Adeline.

Second we went to Chuckie Cheese to celebrate Michael's #3 birthday.

The Barney car which was a favorite. Adeline took control of the wheel.

Uncle James met us for dinner on his break just in time to catch Michael.

Aunt Aleisha took Addy into to the big tube slide. She loved it.

Michael loved this moving clock.

Another favorite was the water race. Aim for the nose guys:-)

Third we went on a long wagon ride

And of course stopped for ice cream

After trying about five times for a good picture of both kids smiling at the camera we decided to give up. I thought this was the most fun. Michael thought he was pretty funny kicking his leg up.

And it only took a couple of shots for Aleisha and I to get a good one.

Thank you for coming all this way to spend some quality time with us. We really enjoyed ourselves. We love you and miss you already. Happy birthday Michael!

Daddy...Addy want Meow...

In a visit to Great Grandpa and Grandma Forte's house Adeline made a new friend. Ralph is his name. And... Great Grandma Forte had her asking Daddy for her own cat. Most of my family are big animal lovers and continue to pressure us to get a pet for Adeline. Little do they know this will probably never happen. James doesn't like cat hair and I don't like keeping animals outdoors. Also since James and I have been married I have been away from the animal hair and it would be hard to go back. It is hard enough for me to keep my house clean with all the hair I lose in a day I can't imagine having an animal.

Oh well....we will continue to enjoy trips to G & G's house and let Adeline soak up her animal time there.

Bapa's Birthday

The other evening after James got home from work we headed to GR to meet Grandpa and Grandma Bean and Aunt Erin to celebrate Grandpas birthday. Adeline had been looking forward to this time for a couple of days now and was always asking for Bapa (Grandpa), Mama (Grandma ,now that I am clearly Mommy she has taken Mama), and Aunt Enin. Finally the day came and she couldn't have been any more happy. She got to sit in between both Bapa and Mama and soaked up all the attention she could get. She was very happy especially when the Ike-is (ice cream) came.

Aunt Erin made a very good observation about most all of our pictures when we are together. For the last two years if you were to check any of our cameras after a family gathering you would notice one thing in common....they are all mostly of Adeline. So...we made sure to take some other shots of ourselves. This way when Adeline does look back on these shots she knows what we all looked like too. She didn't seem too offended.

We also took a great family shot. I think this is my favorite shot this year. I love it.