Milestones

Things that have happened in the past few months for the Hollands-

February was a good month for us, we had Gavin's birthday, we said goodbye to snow for at least 9 months or more, and we had our quarterly Vanderbilt Appt where they said Indie's adrenal mass has not grown. The main doctor we see at Vanderbilt (Dr. John Piesch) told us that we had the option to just keep monitoring it at this point if we wanted. He suspects that the mass is a piece of lung tissue (pulmonary sequestration) which resides below the diaphram. He is only 80% sure of this so it still could be a tumor, however since it has not grown he is getting less suspicious of a tumor. We go in again in May to get another ultrasound and an update. I always get anxiety in the month leading up to the appt, because I start to feel like its been a while and something may have changed in her body.

In March we traveled to NY, 14.5 hour drive to Livonia and then another 3 hours to Windsor, NY. Of course as soon as we got there they have the biggest snow storm in the past 10 years with 18 inches falling in a single day. This was fun for Gavin to see, however not to fun to drive in and really not all that easy to sled in. We did make a large snow man and Gavin loved that. Indie was good all week, she did have her episodes of crying with strangers, but honestly the trip was much smoother than I had thought it would go with a 4 month old and a 3 year old. We were so happy to see family and missed them when he had to go back home. Gavin started preschool in late March and was very very excited to meet new friends. He loves school and his teachers are reporting that he is the sweetest nicest kid, never gets into trouble, always listens, always follows directions and is very smart. The best report a mother could get :)

We also had to make some hard decisions in March. Life was getting to hard to juggle things as much as we were and we decided something had to give. I either had to work part time OR we would have to hire a almost full-time nanny to help us during the day. We ended up hiring a girl named Brook who loves my kids and helps us keep the house clean. Its great and has helped us so much. The sad part is we had to stop taking Gavin to Amy's house, who is our dear friend and her son Camden and Gavin are best buddies. We also had to say good-bye to Patty who was also a great person to have here at our house, who loved Gavin and did a great job teaching him new things. He needed consistency and he needed preschool, so finally we just made a decision and had to stick with it. I had to tell myself as I was stressing out about all of it that it isnt that bad of a thing to have so many people who love and adore Gavin that we can't choose which ones to go with.

In April so far we have been able to play outside a lot more and have had days in the 70's quite often. Gavin is really getting into soccer, hockey, basketball, baseball, tennis, and every other sport. Gavin starts T-ball this summer and he is very excited for this.

Indie 5 months:

Indie is a happy baby, she loves to be loved, she loves attention, she LOVES to bounce and jump in her jumparoo for hours, she jumps and smiles when you stand her up, she loves food and her bottle, she doesn't liked to be rocked much, she just wants to go into her crib and eat a bottle spread out on her own across her crib, she is very independent and already grabs the spoon to feed herself. Indie sings and babbles, coos and laughs. She loves her brother and follows him around with her head. She giggles uncontrollably whenever he touches her or looks her in the eyes. She is a very sweet little girl. She has her times when she screams, but its only when she wants her mommy and no one else will do. She is 98 percentile for weight and height and is already in 12 month clothes. She even wears some of Gavin's 18 month pajamas. She has her daddy wrapped around her little finger. She can roll from back to front and front to back but only on her terms and not very often. She laughs when you tickle her arm pits, chin and feet. She loves baths and she loves to grab anything and everything and destroy it by swinging it around, banging it on anything she is near wth a very intense face. She is going to be a handful, but I fully expected that :)

Gavin:

He is a wonderful happy child, loves to run and play, loves sports and LOVES to learn. He knows several words at a glance (and, is, the, no, Gavin) and wants to work on them daily. He can write all his letters himself on paper and can draw himself pretty well. He loves everyone, is a very compassionate and caring kid who loves to please others. He is a helper and always wants to get Indie's diapers, clothes, medicine, drinks or whatever it is we are looking for. If I have spit up on my leg he runs to the kitchen and gets a rag and comes back and wipes down my leg without ever being asked. He is very good, rarely ever has to be in time out, has never peed the bed and has been potty trained for almost a year now. He is very smart, happy, athletic and sweet and I could not ask for a better combination of traits in a child. He is a great big brother as well.

Gavin's Birthday

Gavin's birthday was this past weekend and we had a huge party. We had about 22 adults, 13 toddlers and 7 babies. It was crazy and fun and we had a big pinata. Gavin was so glad all his friends could join.

It seems everyone who came is sick with various illnesses now, flu, strep, cold etc so we have lysoled down the house. I think Indie is currently getting a cold, her nose is runny and she is not on her game like she usually is.

Gavin is now 3 and loving every minute of it. He is fixing everything with his new tool set and wearing his costumes around the house daily (Robin is his favorite). He loves Dora, Diego and now his favorite is Super Readers to the Rescue.

Indie is loving the Jumparoo. She can't reach the ground so I put a pillow under her feet and she goes to town jumping away like a little jumping bean. She puts herself in a jumping rhythm and has a serious face and will do this for 30-45 minutes. She must get that from me and my crazy car bouncing habit I have had since age 2.

We are just trying to get through this last month of crappy weather and snow so we can get back outside. I hate this weather, and I live in the mid south!

January 2011

This month was pretty uneventful for us. We had a new sitter start and Gavin loves her. She is our friends, friends mother and Gavin learns a lot during the days she comes to our house. Indie stays with me in my office at this point because most of the time she sleeps, although I do know that will be changing soon.

Gavin has his ups and downs adjusting to life with a sibling and less attention on him. He is doing great though and just needs a little more love sometimes as well as a few more time outs. Mom and dad need more date nights and we are working on getting some set up so we can feel normal again.

Indie is growing like a weed of course. She weighs 14 lbs. I had to weigh her twice because I didn't believe it. She is 11 weeks old, so that puts her in the 95 percentile for her age. She is tall as well. I am not sure if this trend is temporary or if she got her genes from Ian's side of the family because my family are all munchkins lol.

Milestones:
Gavin - he can carry on a conversation with you, he is very smart, he never pees his pants or has accidents and he loves to learn. He also loves Dora and Diego, which is great because he spends a lot of time with them these days.

Indie - you would never guess she is 2 months old (almost 3 months). She can pick up her head, move it around, shake a rattle, jump a little in the johnny jump up and can sit up with assistance. She is very strong and very motivated to move around and do new things. She loves watching her brother and that seems to keep her entertained.

Here are some recent pictures

Starting Fresh for New Years - 1/1/2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011 is here!

I have decided that my new years resolution is to start fresh with the blogging and do a great job with it for the sake of my children to one day read it in a book format and for my family and friends who want to know what is happening with our family. So cheers to the New Year and a new beginning with actually documenting our busy life! Sarah Mixon and Amy Weber - you are my family blogging inspirations :) Please keep me in check.

Our life:

Indie is now 8 weeks old and her schedule is still very unpredictable, however we are getitng better at managing her needs. We are hoping to get her on a schedule soon so we can feel like our lives are not so crazy.

Gavin is almost 3 and talks like a normal child now instead of with a strange inflection on the wrong syllables. He now says "who" instead of "whoewew". He is very good with his new little sister and always gives her kisses. So many kisses that we have been restricting his over loving :) He is a good kid, very honest and giving, however right now he is feeling attention deprived and is throwing more tantrums than usual. He spends a lot of time in time out. We are trying to curb him of the 0-60 crying fits that come out of no where. Gavin talks in full sentences and you can actually hold an entier conversation with him. There isn't much he doesn't understand or doesn't comprehend. He is very smart and very athletic. He can hit a baseball out of the air, golf, play tennis, basketball.. you name it, he enjoys doing it. He is newly into his roller skates he got from Santa.

We are trying to manage with me back at work and 2 kids at home. We have our friend Amy watching Gavin 2 days a week and a new sitter/nanny coming into the house 2 days a week. Fridays we figure we will manage on our own, possibly switching our work schedules to accomodate. We haven't figured it all out yet, and I am sure when we do, life will change again and we will have to re-figure it out. I am starting to realize that there are no permanent solutions, only temporary ones. Never get to comfortable because things will change again.

Being parents of 2 is harder in some ways and easier in others. Its much busier and time management is KEY. But this time you go into it knowing what to expect. You have already been broken down, already know you aren't going out, that you won't sleep much, your house will be a mess and that little tiny babies take up way more of your time than you could have ever imagined. Nursing and pumping rules your life and you just know to expect to spend 5 hours a day doing one or the other, if not longer. So I have to say although its much busier with two, already being parents makes a big difference.

I will leave you with a picture of Indie and Gavin

And I am Still Pregnant

I went to the doc last Thursday at 37 weeks and 6 days and was told I was 4 cm and 90% effaced. They said I should have a baby anytime now. Well I am still pregnant and its now Monday night! My mother in law is coming into town tomorrow which will be a relief from every day wondering when I will go into labor and who I will take Gavin to depending on how quick things start moving. So I just have to make it until tomorrow at 4pm before that stress is gone. We are excited to meet our new baby girl. Everything is about as ready as its going to be and we are just trying to tie lose ends.

We are going to try to make Gavin feel as normal as possible and make him feel like his role as a big brother is very important, which it is. I hope he takes it all okay, and I think he will because he is a very sweet and loving boy.

Ultrasound results today and 37 weeks Friday!

I had an ultrasound today since I have not had one for about 1 month. Indie is 6 lbs and 8 oz now and the mass looks smaller! Not much smaller but not bigger either. It measured 2.7cm x 2.9cm which is smaller than what it it was by a little. They found the mass near hear kidney when she was 2 lbs and at that time it was 3 cm and it is smaller now than it was then.... so thats positive news. They still don't know what it is, so after she is born she will go to Vanderbilt for testing at 4 weeks old.

She seems healthy and happy because she is practice breathing and they said that diaphramatic movement she is making indicates a thriving baby in utero. So that is another piece of good information that makes mom and dad happy.

As for me I am getting big and round and readyfor baby to come out! I am doing really well, just the general aches and pains that come with a big ole' belly.

We are getting excited that the end is nearing and we will soon meet our sweet baby girl. Her room is ready and Gavin is very ready to help out and be a big brother. I have no doubt he will be a great big brother, he is very sweet and loving and doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He has never hit anyone and won't even kill a spider. Hopefully he'll kill spiders for Indie as they grow up together :)

Thats all for now,

Lindsay

Results of MRI

Today I had a doctor appt at Vanderbilt to find out the results from the MRI. Dr. Peitch, the head pediatric surgeon explained what he thought it could be. He didnt have any real diagnosis yet, as there is no way to tell from ultrasounds and MRI's what something really is, just speculation and things to rule out. Well radiology said in their MRI report that it was a Sequestration. If you google that you'll see that is a piece of displaced lung tissue. That would also include a form of blood supply going to it, and this they did not see. Dr. Peitch seems not to agree with this diagnosis and feels it could be a sequestration but also could be an adrenal hemmerage or an adrenal tumor. Andrenal Hemmerage would be something that just occured while she was very small and is no longer active. This would require no surgery and no further treatments other than watching it. If it is an adrenal tumor, then they would have to remove it and depending on whether or not it was malignant, determine other follow up courses of action. If its a sequestration, they would have to do surgery at our convenience, to remove it just because it could get an infection later on in life, because its a piece of tissue.

So there are still no real answers, but a few things were ruled out. Its not Wilm's Tumor, as that would be a kidney mass, and they have determined it is not on the kidney. The kidney is functional and normal, this mass is above it either pushing on the adrenal gland or part of the adrenal gland.

They did another ultrasound to compare to the others and determined the mass did not grow. It is still the same size and shape with no new characteristics. This is a good thing. So as of now, the opinion of the doctors at Vanderbilt are to have the baby as normal, wait 1 month before we bring her in for testing. At that point they will do an ultrasound on her and then determine if they should do a CT scan or an MRI. They are hoping over time to be able to see how this mass changes. They also want to do urine tests to see if the hormone levels are higher than normal. If they are, that indicates a tumor on the adrenal gland, because adrenal glands produce your hormones. If she has to have surgery, they want to wait until she is 5 months or so to do it unless they determine it needs to come out earlier based on growth or unforseen problems that at this point he doesn't see (but doesnt know for sure since the mass is still unknown).

So thats the update we have.... I guess its not bad news, at least I get to have a normal delivery and have a normal first month with my baby!

MRI was Thursday - no news yet

We had our MRI on Thursday at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. I sat in a tube for 2 hours straight with my arms above my head and I couldnt move ( I couldnt even if I wanted to, I was in a very small pediatric tube). It was no fun at all. After that they just said "thanks, we'll have a full report in 48 hours". So I will know next week. My appointment with the doctors is on Wednesday so I expect to have a little more information by Wednesday. The most I will probably find out is 1. a better idea of the location of the tumor 2. estimated time of possible surgery (when she is first born vs. a few months old) 3. where I should deliver 4. how I should deliver (C-sec or vaginal) 5. what hospital (vanderbilt or williamson county). These are the main questions that will help us all feel like we can plan a little better for the birth and aftercare.

Thanks for everyone's love and support. I am grateful to have so many friends and family that love us so much and keep us in your thoughts and prayers:)

Pregnant Picture 31 weeks and Gavin with Lotte and Nana

News with Indie, Pregnancy and so on.

So I am just getting around to posting and update. Sorry for the delay and I know many family and friends are eager to know exactly what is going on, and so am I.

Indie:
The doctor called me in mid August and told me Indie had some type of mass on or near her left kidney. This is a call you never want to get and I was completely heart broken and devistated. I spent a few days crying and not understanding and then started to demand more answers. I dont even want to get into the emotional details, I think anyone could imagine and understand the feelings that would come with this news. I had another ultrasound scheduled with a Perinatologist to over this with me. I went in, they did the ultrasound and then he pointed to the big white circle that was as bright as bone in her belly and told me this was not suppose to be here. They were unsure of what it was, but he thought possibly a wilms tumor which is very rare (500 cases a year). This was just a guess.

I made an appt with Vanderbilt Children's Hospital next to get another opinion. 2 weeks later, got in with them. They basically told me the same thing, they were unsure what it was and wouldn't give me any real answers. They said it could be adrenal, could be renal or could just be near there. This means it could be on the kidney or the adrenal gland or something else. They do know it has no blood supply of its own and it hasn't really grown much since it was first discovered (3cm). I think it has grown a little but its all at the discression of the ultrasound tech who is measuring a blurry ultrasound picture. I think she said 3.22 cm after the last ultrasound.
They scheduled me for a Maternal Fetal MRI at Vanderbilt this coming Thursday at 1pm. They hope to at least get better depth perception and a better view of what its attached to and when they should take it out.

As far as Indie's health, everything else looks perfect, her head, lungs, heart, bowels, liver etc, they all look great and her growing is 60th percentile. As far as my health, no gestational diabestes or high blood pressure or water retention and no other problems.

They want me to deliver her at Vanderbilt to play it safe. They are willing to induce at 39 weeks to help with scheduling. They have no answers at this time in terms of should I get a c-section, when would Indie have to have surgery to remove this mass, is it cancer or not, is it lung tissue that is just displaced or something more serious... no answers.

We hope to have more answers the following Wednesday after the MRI.

We are praying for the best but preparing for the worst, just to be safe. We are keeping positive and trying not to worry as much as we can. We want to focus our time and attention on what can be done rather than what has already happened. Keep us in your thoughts.

Lindsay

Update - 2 months later! lol

So new news in the last 2 months:

Baby girl! Name is going to be Indie Lynn Holland but not sure on how to spell Lyn Lin Lynn yet.

I am now 22 weeks pregnant and getting huge. I feel moody and emotional but pretty good overall. I have had 4 ultrasounds so far and will get another in 4 weeks. They told me the bowels are echogenic right now which means they are bright white on ultrasound. It is 99% nothing, they just want to run some tests to be positive. All tests came back negative so far so everything looks really good. She is currently 1 lb 3 oz and has a strong heart beat of 158bpm. She is very active and kicking me a lot this week. Gavin loves to feel her kick and he loves to talk to her.
I painted and fixed up her room and I love it.

I am trying to get organized and orderly before she gets here and its much different trying to do this with a 2 year old in tow! Much harder than last time!

Pictures Below:

13 weeks pregnant

Happy Mother's Day!

13 weeks

Crazy Tennessee Weather

Finally over the cold, cold winter in Tennessee and it has been beautiful and in the 80's for the past month or so. We had a devistating flood this past weekend that left many people without a home and completely devistated many businesses and lives. We were thankfully not effected by this, but its very sad for all of those in shelters and without flood insurance who are left with nothing right now.

On to a brighter note: Gavin has been wonderful lately. Very happy and always trying new sports and new games. He is very talkative and can articulate what he wants very well. He usually wears big boy underwear and I would say he is potty trained. He has some accidents, but for the most part he goes on the potty. He is very excited to become a big brother. He talks about it often and he says he wants a 'baby sister', but who knows.

Gavin has had so many different sitters and nannys for the past several months I am happy to finally feel like he has a little structure. He goes to someone else's house Monday and Wednesday where we gets to play all day with his friend Camden who is right about the same age, and then on Tuesday and Thursday he gets to play at our house with his sitter Haley who takes good care of him as well. He seems happy with this arrangement and if Gavin is happy, mommy is happy.

11 Week Belly

I am a few weeks behind. I still need to take and post my 12 week belly as I will be 13 weeks on Friday. Here is 11 week belly.

Amazing... 11 and a half week old fetus.. mine

Baby #2 is on the way - 10 weeks pregnant

Gavin is going to be a proud big brother. I will start to document my belly as I did last time. I am not as thrilled about it growing this time. It is already much bigger than before, which I heard is normal after the first one.

Belly Pic and a Gavin Pic.

10 weeks, 3 days. I look like I did at 14 weeks last pregnancy. This was also right after eating dinner.

Gavin will be a big brother!

In case you didn't know, I am pregnant. I am due November 12th. I will know the sex sometime in June and can't wait to find out. We are very excited. I will start documenting my belly as I did the first time and I think I will do it in the same place I did my last blog, which is HollandBaby.blogspot.com

Update on The Holland's

Well we have been so busy trying to get everything in order that I have neglected blogging as usual. So I will update you all the best I can.

Gavin is now 22 months. He is talking a lot. He says 4 to 5 word sentences and can name colors and can count to 5 sometimes (1,2,5) lol.

He is very active and very happy usually, although he does throw many fits when he does not get his way.

Gavin is a very social child, he thrives off of attention, but does not like to share much with other kids at this point. He cries when other toddlers take whatever it is that he wanted at that moment.

We are trying to get ready for all of the family at christmas who are coming here to visit us. I have done some christmas shopping, although I still have more to do.

We are trying to settle in still, although we are still furnishing and putting up decorations around the house as needed. I really just need a little elf to clean up.

Gavin 20 months old. Settling in, in Tennessee

The last few months have been very busy for us. We moved in, traveled to New York, traveled to Indiana, and then started remodeling our home. Within the last 2 weeks we changed all the brass in our house to brushed nickel, including all the hinges on all the doors. We changed the showers, faucets, drains, light fixtures, hardware, you name it and we changed it. We even got granite counter tops and a new stainless steel sink. We have been very busy to say the least.

Gavin has been sick several times from his new preschool, however I have heard that it will build his immune system now instead of later. He had Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, Step Throat and an ear infection at the same time, and several colds, all within a few months. Yuck!!

It is now fall and everything is cooling down. The only downfall is it has been raining a lot. Almost every day this fall.

Gavin's Milestones:

Gavin can now say 3 word sentences and is progressing very quickly. He knows his main colors, he can repeat any word you give him and he says things without being prompted such as "Where is daddy?" or "I want yogurt". He is very coordinated and climbs everything! He is still in his crib but we are thinking of moving him to a bed soon. He can name all main relatives from a picture without ever being reminded of who they are.

We have planned to go to the pumpkin patch several times but the weather keeps raining on us on the weekends.

Pure Chaos at the Holland House

So we moved into our new house June 29th and had my parents come down to help us and see the new place. It was a busy week of unpacking and Gavin getting use to his new surroundings. He wasn't very happy about it, at first but eventually he came around. Right after the family left we headed on a 2 week road trip to New York for Ian's high school BFF wedding he was in. We spent a lot of time with our families in Livonia and in Windsor. Gavin loved seeing his grandmothers and great grandmothers (and aunts, uncles and Lotte of course). Going home always helps me get closer to Ian, not sure why but I think family keeps us grounded and helps us to stay in check with who we are and where we came from. After our quick two weeks we came back home and realized we still have tons of work to do and unpacking to finish. Ughh.
We spent the weekend unpacking, figuring out the best daycare/home care for Gavin and shopping for things we need for the house. Ian left for a work trip on Monday. So nothing will get done this week. I put Gavin in a "Preperatory Preschool" however I don't really love it. I want him here, the house is lonely without him here during the day. Its sad :( Not sure how long this will last, I am not that thrilled about daycare.

We are trying to settle in, meet people, etc, but at this point we have not even had much time to sit around and have a glass of wine on the couch and relax.