He's here!!

Cade Mackenzie Stein

November 24, 2009 at 12:53 p.m.

6lbs 9 oz. 19 1/4 inches long




**Will post more info and pics soon! **

**Mommy's still not feeling too well..**

Sade-Sade

So, we finally got Sadie an appointment with Shriner's Hospital! We went on November 5th to St. Louis! Had tons of fun sightseeing and spending the night with Brandon's cousin Jami and her husband David! We only got to stay one night though so it was kind of a fast and exhausting trip! Ha

Brandon and the girls had never been to the St. Louis Arch

so we decided to take them up in it!

Sadie kept saying "Me look, Me look!!" She had a lot of fun

collecting leaves and rocks outside for Pepaw too :)

Laney LOVED the arch! She said it was like riding in a dryer to the top and

she just smiled the whole time!!

We decided to try Shriner's because Sadie's pediatrician was not at all pleased with the treatment we were receiving from the Tulsa specialist. They were basically just having us come up there for nothing and each time we went it was the same old "let's wait and see" story.. They didn't even do x-rays last time and we were basically in and out within 5 minutes. Seriously. Grr.

So anyways, the doctors and staff at Shriner's were awesome! They took special care of both our sweet girls and the nurses played with them and they even got stuffed elephants! The had a lot of fun! Best of all, Shriner's is free! Which is a GREAT thing for us right now since Brandon got laid off back in August. Helped us out tremendously!!

They took x-rays of her legs and even regular pictures. And they also watched her walk several times up and down the hallway. They told us that her bones were now at a 21 degree angle. If you'll remember last year (in October) they were only at a 10 degree angle. They didn't "officially" say Blount's disease but they talked a lot about it. Back last year at our first orthopedic appointment in Springdale, we were told that after the legs get to a 15-20 degree angle, they consider it Blount's disease...so we're not really sure. The doctors recommended leg braces for Sadie OR we could come back in 6 months and re-do the x-rays again. It was totally up to us but she recommended that we went ahead and got her fit for them. Of course, we know that her legs have gotten worse and the longer we wait the harder it will be on Sadie so we went ahead and had her measured and fit for the blount's braces.

This is just an example picture I found on the internet of the way Sadie's legs look.

The doctors also noticed her knee popping out of place as well..

She will have to wear these braces anywhere from one to two years. They will go from her hips down to the UGLY boots she will have to wear. I know it's totally dumb and "earthly" of me but I just like my girls to be stylish and these boots are FAR from stylish..it has really bothered me. A lot. They pretty much lock her knees up to allow growth in her growth plates. Her tibia bone is shorter so basically this will allow room for the bone to grow like it should and straighten things out. She will have to wear these day and night...at all times (except for showers, etc.) The reasoning behind that is because a child grows at different times and there is no way of knowing when Sadie's legs will grow so for the braces to be effective she HAS to be wearing them when she grows..

We were also told that there is still the possibility that she will have to have surgery when she is 4 or so. She has a few things in her favor such as she is not African-American (evidently Blount's is more dominant in African-American children) and she is not overweight so that is good but there are a few things working against her too: She is a girl (boys have better success with the braces) and a few other things that I can't recall at the moment. BUT we know that God is able to do anything. So if it is His will that her legs straighten without surgery then He can and WILL do it! We are praying that her legs show significant improvement before her next 6 month check in May (we were told by the doctors we wouldn't see anything by then-would LOVE to prove them wrong! ha)

We've (me more than Brandon) have had a hard time with it because obviously we don't like the thought of Sadie having to go through all this. I have cried so much over it. Sometimes I can't stand to think about it! I know parents go through MUCH worse things than leg braces but it's still hard on us :( God will help us through though. He always has and always will. She wants to be like Laney so much and do everything that Laney does so it's hard because she wants to play soccer and do ballet, etc. but we will probably more than likely have to push that back a few years. So that's hard and it breaks my heart for her. But hopefully all will straighten quickly and correctly!

Please be praying with us for our sweet girl! That she can run and play and be normal in these braces and that they don't bother her at all. She hates wearing shoes as it is, so I can't imagine making her wear these ALL of the time! But we've gotta! So pray for us to be strong for her as well and most importantly please pray that her legs will straighten fast!

Love you all!

Sadie

Happy 2nd Birthday Sadie!!

Dearest Sweet Sadie,

I cannot believe you are two years old today!! It seems like just yesterday you were in my belly..causing me all kind of pains!! :) Today you said you wanted to go to the park when we asked you what you would like to do for your birthday. We asked you what you would like for dinner tonight and you said McDonald's! ha And you want to play "soccer ball" This morning when you woke up you were upset because it's raining and you keep looking out the window saying "Raining, momma...soccer ball" and then you frown! SAD!! We are going to do our best to let you play soccer ball today :)

We celebrated your birthday with all your friends/family last week. We had a party for you and Laney together at Wilson Park Pool! We called it the Stein Girls Luau 2009! You had so much fun but weren't very talkative like usual. We didn't know if you were feeling bad or if you were just being shy cause there were so many people there! You got tons of cute gifts but weren't really interested in opening them. You wanted to play instead so Mommy had to open most of them for you and you played with them as I opened! When we asked you what you wanted for your birthday the only thing you would tell us was, "I don't know...soccer ball?" You told Laney you wanted a "bag" and Laney said "Well what do you want in it sis??" And you told her "Stuff!" haha!

You are doing so much now! We can understand you a lot. You talk all the time and want to do everything that Laney does. You act so big! You love baby dolls and carry one around most of the day and you always take one to bed with you. We even got a note from the nursery that you carried one around all during church last time. SO sweet! You get so excited about everything and point and say "Mommy LOOK!!" Sometimes you just melt my heart! I could sit and watch you play/sleep/eat/talk all day long!

You are still having some issues with your legs. We took you to the doctor last week and didn't really get any answers (again) and have to take you back for more x-rays in November. Some days your legs look straighter but some days you have a really hard time walking/running. Breaks this momma's heart! I just don't want them to hurt you EVER! We are praying really hard that they straighten up or that the doctors will do something soon to help them!

You love music and you LOVE to sing! Everytime you get in the shower you will sing very LOUD!! It is the sweetest! When you are playing babies you walk around saying "Baby cry, Baby cry...." You make us laugh all the time!

It's a BOY!

So I realize that i'm almost two weeks late posting this but IT'S A BOY!!!!!!! WOO HOO!! Brandon and I feel truly blessed and Brandon has said numerous times how "perfect" our family will be now. :) Last Monday, we went to the doctor at 8:00 a.m. (I made the appointment early-couldn't stand the thought of waiting all day) and so we got called back to the ultrasound room and let me tell ya: I WAS SO NERVOUS!! I was sick all morning trying to get ready and when I layed down on that table, I was shaking like a leaf!! Brandon was surprisingly calm. Laney and Sadie went with us and they were both very excited to find out. Laney was hoping for girl and Sadie said it was a boy!

(yes I am aware that he may beat me when he gets older for posting this one..ha)

So, the tech starts getting all the measurements she needs for the doctor and looking around and then she asks us if we'd like to know the sex? HELLO, UM YEAH, THAT'S WHY WE ARE HERE!!?? Anyways, a few weeks back I had this dream that the ultrasound showed a little wee-wee and then turned to a vagina!! FREAKED ME OUT! haha So Brandon and I both kept seeing something that we thought was the "male part" but didn't say anything...I was honestly waiting for it to turn to a "girl part". Finally, she said "Well, it looks like a BOY to me!!" WHEW, what a relief (not that we wouldn't have loved her if it had been a girl but we really wanted a boy)!! I cried. Brandon cried. It was precious! Utter shock. As a matter of fact, we're still having a hard time believing we're gonna have a boy! Brandon always said that he had the two most beautiful, sweet girls in the world so he knew we were having a boy because there could never be girls more prettier or more precious than the ones we already had. Of course, Brandon and our doctor shared some high fives before we left! Immediately after walking out of the doctors office, my phone and facebook started blowing up with texts and people wanting to know :) So I sent them this picture for a clue :)

Laney had seen on her favorite show (The Duggars) where Josh and Anna cut a cake to reveal the sex of their baby and so when we told Laney we were fixing to find out the sex of our baby she said "I WANNA CUT THE CAKE!!!" So we decided to tell our family/friends the same way. We planned a reveal party at Chuck E Cheese that night and it was SO much fun!! My family wasn't too happy about having to wait from 8 a.m. till 6:30 that night but they got over it! haha

We have decided to name him Cade Mackenzie. His name was purely accidental! Brandon and I went to Olive Garden for our anniversary on July 5th and we were talking baby names and Brandon kept getting "mad" at me everytime I mentioned a girls name! I thought Kate would be a cute name cause it's my grandma's grandmothers name and Alli's middle name is Katelynn so I thought that would be kind of pretty. So I said "How bout Kate?" Brandon glared at me and I was like "I didn't say Kate!! I said CADE!!" haha He was like "You know what? I really like that name!!" So there we had it: Cade! And Mackenzie is Brandon's middle name and it's also the maiden name of his grandmother on his dad's side. We are so excited and just can't wait till HE is here!!

Oh The Excitement!!

Ahh...here we are on the eve of finding out what the sex of our (hopefully) last baby is!! We are soooo excited and very nervous at the same time (as I'm sure you can imagine). Everyone keeps asking me what my "gut" feeling is and well, I really don't have a gut feeling. I was telling Brandon that I think it's a boy but then I feel like that's just wishful thinking and then I figure it's a girl cause well that's how we roll...so I just REALLY don't have a clue!!

We are right in the middle of a move to a new, bigger house (THANK YOU GOD) and today I came across these emails I had printed off around 4 1/2 years ago! Aww, how they made me cry and laugh all at the same time! Everything was so new then and we had no idea what we were in for :) I had sent out an email to my family/friends a week or so before we found out the sex of Laney Beth and it was so much fun reading what everyone had to say so I thought it might be fun to post these the night before we find out what "Baby Cup" is going to be. I'll share a few :)

-BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (from Uncle Dustin)

-I think you are having a boy because I have a gut feeling. Boy is my vote. Love Aunt Netta

-I, Tina think it will be a girl bc that seems to be the most dominate gender in this group...Jim thinks that just bc there are so many girls that this one will be a boy!!! and Mandy thinks it will be a boy bc that was the first thing that came to her mind. Missy thinks you will have a girl bc girls are prettier than boys...haha so here you have it...we are a family divided...Love you guys and we will be praying for you (From Jim, Tina, Mandy and Missy Flowers)

-Hi. Jamie well I guess a boy. reason to take Dustins place as he just turned 18 the other day. and you was sort of a tomboy to me. no i hope you guys lots of luck and boy or girl Gods blessing to you and Brandon (and ?). Love Papa (so SOOOO sweet)

-I'm gonna guess BOY for two very good reason....I haven't seen you in a while and your nana said so...(from Mina)

-Well I just happen to think that Mr and Mrs Stein are going to have a beautiful baby GIRL! I know, I know I am going against what Nana thinks which I have to admit does worry me a little, but I have to go with my instinct. I think that since Brandon was blessed with many brothers, it is time for iim to experience the joys of a precious little girl. Just think, you guys would get to look forward to pink dresses, hair bows, and all the little girl ways! Plus, Jamie you know you have to have a girl now, so I don't have a chance to take that name we both love! HA! I am so excited for both of you and either way, boy or girl, I know that this baby is blessed! Counting down the days.... (From Sarah Morgan *now Core*)

-I think it is a girl because you look like girl people (From Sarah Robinson)

-Well I think you are having a boy!!! I don't really know why. so do you want us to guess when the baby will be born too??? If I win I want you to take me out to dinner! Love ya lots! Nana

-A Boy!! God told me so. (Uncle Joe)

-Well I didnt even know you were pg! Congrats. I say "boy" too! (Robin Smith)

-I bet it is a girl. Hope you are doing o.k. Love ya, Aunt Barb

-I think it is a boy. I know we want a girl but I have a gut feeling it's a boy. The reason I think it is a boy is because I have been buying boy clothes and I would hate to take them all back!! hehe (From Aunt Holly)

Gosh, I treasure these emails so much!!! I think it's funny that most said boy and two girls later we still have no boy (at least not that we know of YET!! ha) I know I have Sadie's somewhere too that I may have to post sometime but I just happened to find these today :) Say a prayer for us (Brandon especially..hehe) and we will let you know!!

Get your votes in!!

I've started a new poll (as I have with my two previous babies) that is a lot of fun, especially for me, I love reading all of ya'll's guesses and what you have to say :) So get to voting!! Just click on the expectnet poll at the upper right :)

A few facts:

-Miss Laney Beth was breach causing me to have a c-section which requires me to have c-sections with all my other pregnancies :( Sooo I know that I will have the baby somewhere around a week or so before my due date (that should help you guys with the date)

-I weighed 7lbs 13 oz when I was born and unfortunately I am not sure about Brandon...But Laney weighed 7 lbs 2 oz and was 20 inches long and Sadie was 7 lbs 10 oz and was 20 1/4 inches long...

-I went into labor a day before my scheduled c-section with Laney and with Sadie I had contractions pretty much from 20 weeks on but I still kept her in my belly alllllll the way till her scheduled c-section day :)

-Brandon has 5 brothers and only nieces...My family usually goes two of one sex and one of the other (for example: Me-girl, Holly-girl and then Dustin-boy) there's a whole mixture of sexes in my family :)

That's all the clues I'm givin! Good Luck!! :)

Fun Friday

Yesterday was our first appointment with an actual doctor! Woo Hoo! We decided to stick with the same doctor that we've used to past two times even if we don't like the hospital we have to deliver at. I must say that I am SO glad we decided to stick with him! My name got called and it was his actual nurse (love her) and she was like "HEY!!" like we were old pals or something! haha She was soooo great with me when I was fixing to have a c-section with Sadie. I was freakin out and she was so helpful and trying to calm me down. Later she told me she was worried about me cause I was so scared :)



So the Dr. walks in and the first thing he says is "You are NOT going to believe this but I swear to you that just yesterday afternoon, I thought about you guys and wondered whatever happened to the Stein family and here you are today!" Isn't that great? Made us feel good that he wondered where we were and why we hadn't been around in a while!! We've been pregnant every other year so I guess he knew it was time for #3! haha

After taking care of some not so fun things (pap..ugh!), he's ready to listen for the heartbeat! This is where the funny part starts...When I was preggo with Laney, he predicted a girl based on the heartrate and with Sadie, he predicted a girl too and well he was right that time too :) So Brandon informs him that when/if he finds the heartbeat, he is NOT allowed to predict or give his opinion based on what the heartrate is!!! haha Dr. Hix got the BIGGEST laugh out of that one! Brandon said if it is another girl he is going to cry and the dr. said he would cry with him!

With Laney and Sadie, he hadn't found the heartbeat the first time, so I was pretty confident that he wouldn't find this ones the first time and would want to do an ultrasound. I was nervous and excited all at the same time! Of course I was right...couldn't find the heartbeat (he thought he heard it for a brief second) so off to the ultrasound room we went! Has anyone else had the internal ultrasound?? UGH. Very uncomfortable!! Ahem, and they put a condom over it! Like I said, uncomfortable and weird!! OK anyways, so up pops our little "baby cup" (Laney's name for the baby)!!!! He/she was a lot bigger than I expected! I could make out the eyes and it's back and arms...awww :) We could also see the heart beating on the screen. I told the doctor that I was soooo relieved when I seen the heartbeat! Our doctor said that he is always nervous until he sees the heart beating on the screen (that's a good doctor).

not the best quality photo but you can only do so much with a crappy cell phone pic :)

So then we hear, "Well the heart is beating 175 bpm, looks like a healthy BABY!" and then he starts laughing because Brandon is standing against the wall with the scaredest look on his face! Brandon said "Don't even say it!! I know what that means!!" Brandon said his heart fell into his stomach at that point! haha Brandon asked what the odds of it being a boy were....Dr. Hix said, "Brandon, that does NOT mean it's a girl. There is still hope! That stuff is just hogwash and you can't predict based on that!" Yeah, ok Dr. Hix...you predicted it for us twice before! We were all laughing hysterically at this point. Well except for Brandon. I told them we needed to get Brandon to an E.R. quickly cause I'm pretty for sure he was about to have a heart attack! Brandon asks if it would be ok to take my nausea medicine. More laughs. Nothing like everyone laughing while you're laying spread eagle on an exam table :/

Oh, and we just seen one baby :( I guess you grow faster with each pregnancy or something? Cause I could've sworn there was either more than one or that I was further along...seriously. So I'm about 12 weeks and I'm due on December 7th. So I should have this little baby somewhere around the end of November or first of December (c-section births are great for exact dates-except for Laney, who decided to come a day before her scheduled c-section). Our next appointment is in June and this is the one where they do AFP (?) testing. We opted out of this testing on Laney and Sadie so we signed a release with this one too. When I was pregnant with Laney, Dr Hix said that a lot of times this test will have false positives and then you have more testing that turns out negative. Basically it can cause a lot of worries. He said anything that can be "fixed" will show up on an ultrasound and since he knew we wouldn't terminate a pregnancy because of things the tests might show (like down-syndrome and other genetic problems) then it really wasn't a necessary test for us. Him and his wife had opted out of this testing too.


We headed to the nurses desk to sign the release and his nurse told us that her cousin was pregnant and the heartrate was always high so they were convinced they were having a girl. They had decided not to find out what they were having so when the baby was born, it was a boy! She was trying to give Brandon a shred of hope..but he still has doubt! He thinks God may be testing him until we find out! haha Poor Brandon! Anyone else got any rays of hope that I can share with Brandon? What were your babies heart rates/sexes? I told Brandon that I'm going to go have the ultrasound alone at 20 weeks because I don't think he can stand the disappointment if it is a girl! I think every daddy has dreams of having a boy? He loves his girls SOOO much so I know that after the initial shock wears off (if it does happen to be a girl), he will be excited and he'll be wrapped around her finger like he is with Laney and Sadie :)



Such a funny Doctor's appointment! I was really nervous but it turned out great and we had a lot of fun too!! Can't wait till next month!!



Then we went back to Nana and Pepaw's to get the girls and apparently they decided to go swimming while we were gone! haha Can we say, BRRRR?!?!






Holly and Alli decided to come over for a visit so we ended up spending the whole day with everyone. We had a great time! The best part was the loooong nap we all took in the afternoon :) Awwww it was so nice! I took care of Alli for a while. Laney and Holly decided to go work out while Sadie was still sleeping. She was quiet most of the time but she did cry quite a bit too! The only way I kept her from crying was by playing "Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash on the cell phone! haha I played it over and over and over again. Everytime she would start to cry, I would turn it on and she would stop instantly!!


Uncle Dustin came home and we went out to the pool again and the girls got in..again. They love the water! I think they would live there if we would let them! We had to practically drag them out. Poor Sadie's lips and hands were blue! Those crazy girls! We were going to barbecue but it was getting kind of late by this point and no one wanted to go to the grocery store so we decided to order pizza instead! OHHHH it was so good! I can't find very many things that I like during this pregnancy but the stuffed crust pizza....MMMM!! It's too bad we're on a budget because I think I would order it everyday! I craved it before bed and when I woke up this morning and now that I'm talking about it...I want it NOW! I am definately kicking myself for not bringing some of it home with us!


It was such a great Friday!

Sadie's legs

Well we finally have internet again! Yay! We switched internet companies and it has taken FOREVER to get the new company to do their thing!! Anyways..now I can finally update about Sadie's legs....

As most of you know, we were told by the orthopedic specialist in Springdale that she would need braces to correct her legs and he wanted to send us to a children's orthopedic specialist in Tulsa because if her legs did not straighten up after the braces then Tulsa would be the place where she would have surgery to correct them.

So on May 14th, we headed to our appointment with Dr. Capeheart. As you can imagine, we were pretty nervous. I had cried several times because I knew that it would be so hard on Sadie. We had read that the braces would have to be worn 23 out of 24 hours!!! Sadie is a very active 21 month old so we knew this would be very difficult and she would NOT be a happy girl with something on her legs all day long. Dr. Capeheart came in and looked her legs over and decided to do some more x-rays (for some reason our Dr. in Springdale sent no x-rays or information to Dr. Capeheart's office?!?!) So Brandon took her back to the x-ray room (I couldn't go cause I'm pregnant...boo!) and then we all waited for the results.

Finally, he brought the x-ray in to show us and to discuss what he thought. He said he was going to go through a couple of diseases that children usually have when they have these types of leg problems and show us what her legs (more specifically her knee caps) would be doing if she had any of these diseases. First, it was some REALLY long name that I can't remember (ha) and said if she had this disease, her knee caps would look a certain way (which they didn't) so he said it wasn't that disease. Next, he talked about Rickets disease (I'm sure some of you have heard about it). Rickets disease is caused from a Vitamin D deficiency (which breast fed babies usually are lacking vitamin d..) and said that it didn't appear that she had this. Then he moved on to Blount's disease which is what the Springdale orthopedic specialist told us she more than likely had. Dr. Capeheart said at this point it doesn't look like she really has Blount's. If it does turn out to be Blount's, leg braces should correct it (with no surgery!! YAY!) Blount's is usually worse in African-American children and they may have problems with it their whole life. White children usually outgrow theirs (sometimes on their own) pretty early and have no life-long problems with it. Great news!!

Also, we have always been worried about her hips because she tends to hold them and rub her back and hip area a lot (especially when she walks). We have asked 3 times for x-rays on her hips and 3 times they haven't done it and we've been told..."Oh nothing is wrong with her hips." (guess they had x-ray vision....grr..) So, thankfully, Dr. Capeheart got her hips in his x-ray and he told us that her hips looked great (we didn't even have to ask!)

So he wants to keep an eye on her legs. He was fairly certain that she wouldn't develop any of these diseases and that her legs would straighten out on their own (PLEASE God!) In children under 2, they have a harder time diagnosing these leg problems and diseases because their knee caps don't really start showing problems on the x-rays until age 2 and then they can be more easily identified. Sadie is right on that borderline. It should show on her x-rays but it may not because of her age..So it's just a waiting game.

We were extremely happy (ok, we both cried after hearing the news) because we fully expected to come home with Sadie in braces! It was odd, because the x-rays looked WAY better than they had a few weeks ago in Springdale. Brandon and I got to talking on the way home about the series of x-rays that she's had and thought..the first x-ray she had in back in October(ish), she was laying down. The second x-ray in April she was standing up. Then this last x-ray in Tulsa she was laying down..Her worst x-ray was in April (while standing). So we wonder if that has anything to do with things looking better or if it was a God thing? I would prefer to think God is healing her but we are still going to ask Dr. Capeheart when we go back in August. But PRAISE GOD that for now she doesn't have to have any treatment and no braces!

Please continue to pray with us for these specific things:

**NO pain for Sadie-she still complains when we walk and she still falls a lot.

**That when we go back in August that everything will be straight with no bowing!

**That we are at the right place (Doctor-wise) Anyone else ever worry they are taking their children to the right doctors? I do!

Thank you all so much for the thoughts and prayers you are sending up for us. It means so much to us and we really appreciate it!

Alli Katelynn is here!!!!

Alli Katelynn Walker

April 28, 2009

5 lbs. 12 oz. 19 inches long

What a week!!

WOW! It has been some kind of week! We started off in Huntsville where Brandon decided to do some renovations at his Gran's house while she was visiting family in Florida... Gran's toilets had been leaking and causing problems (they were VERY old) so he decided to rip them both out and put new ones in. She also had a bad sink and some leaky pipes so what he thought would be a quick easy fix turned out to be an all week job!! Needless to say, when she returned home she was very shocked to find two new toilets, a new sink, and new pipes! It was a LOT of work!!

About mid-week, Sadie started getting sick and she had a well-check appointment on Thursday (shots included...boo) but when they checked her temperature (102 ish) they decided against shots and after a few tests, we found out she had strep-throat AND the flu!! UGH! Neither of my children have ever had the flu, nor have they ever been this sick. It was so sad! Sadie usually gets sick and is over hers in a day but poor kid has been sick a whole week. Hopefully she gets better soon or we'll have to take her back to the doctor :( Laney started getting sick this weekend but I don't really think she had what Sadie had but she has been coughing something awful! We've been pumping her with her inhaler and cough medicines because she usually ends up having "almost" pneumonia or bronchitis. My poor babies!

There was another big change this week. Since Saturday was a new moon we decided it was time for Sadie to quit breastfeeding. :( I wasn't sure if this worked but my mom swore by it (actually my mom doesn't really swear but she did insist it would work)! She ate one last time on Friday and then on Saturday she just kind of stopped..It may have something to do with that she was sick but she just quit asking (yes, I know I should've stopped long before she was able to ask for "boobie" ha) and so we stopped... I felt SO guilty because she was sick and all I wanted to do was hold her and nurse her but I know it was time and for the best and she has done so well with it. I am so proud of her! Even though I was ready to stop, there is just something about actually stopping that is heartbreaking. If you are a mom you know what I mean and if you're not a mom yet then you will find out what I'm talking about! I have cried several times!

Today we had an appointment with Sadie's orthopedic specialist. We took her for her first visit back in October for x-rays because she has a lot of bowing in her legs and she also falls alot and acts like her legs and hips are hurting her. So back in October we were told that her tibia bone was at a 10 degree angle (on both legs) and that we needed to come back every 6 months to see how they were growing. He said if they were at a 20 degree angle it was considered to be Blount's Disease which you can read about here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blount.

So we went for our appointment today and her legs are at a 15-20 degree angle. At this point, her legs should be straightening up and not getting worse so the specialist decided that we needed to go to Children's Hospital in Tulsa to see a pediatric orthopedic specialist (say that 3 times fast! whew!) What he said would probably happen is that Sadie will get braces for her legs that will hopefully help straighten out her legs. I am not sure what kind of braces, how long she'll have to wear them, or anything but oh, how I just wanted to sit down and cry in the doctors office. It took everything within me to be strong and not becoming a blubbering cry baby in front of everyone.

He also told us that if the braces do not work then at age 3 they would do surgery to correct her legs. Ugh. I KNOW there are so many things worse that could happen to your kids (cancer, sickness, death) but as a parent, you just want your children to be whole and to not have to go through things like this. It just breaks my heart really. I have had a pretty hard day with all of it. I think about how active and all over the place Laney is all the time and to think of poor little Sadie in braces or having surgery where she can't get around as much makes me so SO sad.

Sadie and Laney waiting on Dr. Heim to come in with test results.

I know that this is better to fix now rather than waiting till she is older but it's just hard to see my baby suffer :( I watch Sadie walk a lot and it is very hard for me because she will fall or have a hard time running everyday. She also has a limp when she walks. A lot of times she will say "hold me" because she just doesn't feel like walking. And she hold her back a lot too. I just can't stand it. We have also noticed that her feet are bruised if she wears her shoes a lot (so if you see her barefoot all summer, you know why!) I am confident though that God will help my sweet girl. We put her in God's Hand's from the moment she was born so we know that God will give us comfort and help us through this. Even if He chooses not to straighten her legs out, it's ok because there is a purpose for everything and we know that He has a plan for our lives. We should hear from the specialist tomorrow about when we are supposed to go to Tulsa. Please be praying for us and especially for Sadie.

Isn't she the sweetest. She was working at daddy's office (she looks A LOT like Dustin as a baby here!)

On a happier note, AHEM, have I mentioned that we are expecting? Apparently this pregnancy thing is contagious! I know of like 12+ women that are pregnant right now so I'm saying I caught it from them! hehe. I am not sure how far along I am or when I am due. I am assuming sometime at the first of December but I haven't been to the doctor yet and I feel further along than I probably am..Anyways, we are very excited and a little shocked still ... Brandon wants a boy, of course. He has threatened to leave me if it's another girl but hey, it's not my fault if it's a girl, right??? Laney thinks it is a girl AND a boy and she has nicknamed them "baby cup" Silly girl! Sadie likes to kiss my belly and she calls the baby "Alli" I guess she thinks all belly's are named Alli because of Holly's baby!

Speaking of Holly...we are SO ready for Baby Alli to get here already!! I am kind of glad though that she has held off because the girls are so sick and I would absolutely HATE passing our germs to a newborn and I have no idea how I would keep Laney away from Alli because she is just too excited!! So maybe it is for the best but we are ready! Not as ready as Holly I'm sure...here is Holly's' blog if you want to keep up with her pregnancy: http://www.walkerfam05.blogspot.com/

She has a cool little baby pool on the left hand side for you to vote in if you get a chance!

Anyways, here is proof of little baby(ies) Stein...Sorry it's so blurry but well my camera needed charged and my cell phone stinks so this is all I could get. haha. Also, I know it's a little hard to see the line but it IS there. I can't afford the fancy schmancy tests that say "pregnant" or "not pregnant" (well I could but Brandon thinks it's a waste of money) so this is as good as it gets.

We're off to see the wizard...

So I had a few minutes and thought I would write a quick blog...Our computer is broken so I haven't had a chance or the time to actually type one up somewhere else..Hopefully I get the computer fixed soon! :) This is kind of old but last month we won free tickets to see the Wizard of Oz at the Walton Arts Center from www.nwamotherlode.com (check them out!) I was SO excited. Brandon and I took the girls and mom decided she wanted to come too since it is her favorite movie ever!

I didn't realize how scary this show might seem to little girls until we were already watching it..Sadie wanted to nurse the whole time (yes I still nurse her...Lord HELP!) and Laney enjoyed it and didn't seem too bothered by anything scary (Thank God--cause I was praying!) Sarah and Kelcie came down from the balcony to visit us during intermission. Laney looovess Kelcie. She likes to call her and even though I hear mostly giggles, I think they have fun talking to each other on the phone..ha. Sadie's favorite part was anytime the "doddie" (Toto) came on stage and Laney just loved everything. She loves to go to plays and watch all the singing. I usually end up playing the most recent play for weeks afterwards but I'm glad she enjoys it. We met up with Sarah, Kelcie and Netta after the show and visited outside a while and took a few pictures. We had plans to get fried ice cream from Jose's but it was a little late :(

Fun night!

Happy New Year

WOW! I have been so busy....I have thought about updating my blog several times but I was either too lazy or didn't have time. Then my dang laptop crashed! I feel so lost without it.... :(

So I was reading a friends blog (thanks Becca) and she posted a blog with her new years resolutions so I thought I would follow the same pattern, although I never follow through with these things but I am going to try my absolute best because these things are so important to me!

*To have a closer relationship with God. I go to church and all but sometimes I feel like I am not as close to Him as I should be. Like I'm going through the motions and not really getting it right. I read a verse yesterday that challenged me and so I am determined to start setting aside time everyday to find a QUIET place to pray and have time ALONE with God. I think that is so important in your walk with God.

*To spend more time "playing" with my girls. Sometimes I get so busy doing things...cleaning, laundry,watching tv, computer stuff (ahem..)... This whole laptop being broken has been a blessing really. I feel like I have played with the girls a lot here lately. They mean the world to me and I have so much fun playing with them. They amaze me...the things they think and do. Aww, I love them!

*To have a better marriage with Brandon. I will admit, we argue more than we should. It's hard sometimes though when you're struggling with other things and you tend to take it out on your spouse. I would like to make a resolution to never fight in front of our kids (I would like to say to never fight, period but that is difficult to not argue with someone you are with 100% of the time). I've noticed that Laney's attitude gets real bad when we've been fighting with each other. Isn't that terrible? I feel like a bad parent/wife sometimes because of this. We have got to do better! embarrasing to admit but i'm just being honest...

*To work on myself. I have some serious self-esteem problems. I don't really like being around people most of the time because I feel insecure. It is going to have to have a lot of help from God but I want to be a better person. I am going to have to do some hard work inside and out. I need to stop worrying about what others think about me and focus on what God wants me to be. I used to have a bad social anxiety problem and it got better but now I feel myself getting in the same "rut" that I used to live in. Please pray for me! :)

That is all I can really think of for now. My mind is at a blank! ha! I will do a continuation of this at a later date to see how I'm progressing with these things..and I am already breaking resolution #2 because I am spending WAY too much time on this computer and the girls are wanting me to play "mail lady" :)

I will post again soon!