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.