Day 4

Hi friends. Today is a later entry because Chris and Ezra came to visit today! Chris had the day off since it’s Good Friday, so they were able to make the trip out. They spent about six hours here, so that was really nice. Today I learned that across the bridge is a Qdoba & Zoup. Zoup was closed so we opted for Qdoba for lunch. I do get all my meals included here, but every once in awhile it’s a nice change of pace to go get something different. I always feel bad when we have something Ezra isn’t able to eat, which is pretty much all the time because either milk, eggs, and/or soy are in pretty much everything. And a lot of times it’s not safe to risk food places due to cross contamination. But we always make sure we have safe snacks for him, as well as Benadryl & his EpiPen on hand, just in case. Plus, at least if anything were to happen while he’s here, he’s in the right stop to get treatment ASAP! Maybe not super intersting, but we can talk about Ezra’s allergies a little bit today.

So as I mentioned previously, we learned he had them about 6-8 weeks ago. I was noticing any time he had cheese, yogurt, or even some other random foods that his face was turning very red and hot after eating them. I remember Emmett & Grace having the same reaction when they had ranch or ketchup when they were babies/toddlers, but it was due to the acidity. But since he was having that reaction with quite a few foods, I decided to mention it to Ezra’s pediatrician and ask for an allergy panel to be done. She ordered it and we got his blood done, and sure enough, the kid had a laundry list of allergies. Lol. Initially, we also thought he had an allergy to wheat, but we went to an allergist a couple weeks after the blood draw and did a skin test, and wheat actually came back okay, but he did have a reaction to milk, eggs, soy, peanuts, hazelnuts, and Brazil nuts. Milk & eggs are his worst two. I’m at least thankful we don’t have to worry about wheat because trying to find baby snacks that don’t have milk, eggs, soy, AND wheat was next to impossible! Soy is still pretty difficult, but thankfully most vegan snacks are soy free, but not all, so we still have to watch. So, if at any point you are caring for Ezra, we will show you how to use his EpiPen, if ever necessary. They actually sent us a little trainer thing with it for that exact purpose, so that’s kind of nice. Even Emmett knows how to use it!

But anyway, enough about that. So as I mentioned before, Chris and Ezra came to visit today! After we were done with lunch, we walked down to my favorite place here: the library. I was hopeful my fav library lady, Jeanine, was working so she could meet Chris and Ezra. Thankfully she was, so I got to introduce both of them. She was even kind enough to gie Ezra a whole set of Mega Blocks to take home! We decided to keep them here in my room so he has them to play with when they come to visit. Sadly, the library isn’t open on the weekend, which will pretty much be the only times they’ll be up to visit, so at least this way we have something for him to do while they are here. It’s a bummer the library isn’t open on Sat or Sun because they have all kinds of fun stuff for kids, including toys, art kids, coloring books, fidgets, board games, card games, etc. But Ezra had a blast playing with a few of the toys there and reading some books. I really feel like Ezra is going to be a reader because he LOVES books. Chris said there’s a book at home that has pictures of animals, and Ezra keeps going back to the pages with a spider, and a dog, which is a little bit worrisome because we will never have a pet spider or a dog. Lol. (If you don’t know already, I am a cat person and I really don’t like dogs. Lol. Yes, even your dog that you think is amazing and everyone loves. I almost guarantee you, I will not. lol) It was so nice to be able to spend such a good chunk of the day with Chris & Ezra. It broke up my “routine” and gave me something different to do, so I enjoyed that. Supposedly it was pretty warm outside today, like 72 or so, but it was stormy & rainy here so we didn’t venture outside at all. Although I am told there’s an enclosed space for kids to play in down by the children’s hospital, so maybe if it’s decent out on Sunday, we can check that out.

So the MFM team of doctors comes in every morning to check on me and let me know if there’s any changes/updates. The other day they had mentioned setting a tentative date for the delivery/surgery, so today I asked about that and they said they are aiming for either May 14, or May 16. They’re trying to work some things out with the OR, so it just depends on when it’s available. I am personally hoping for May 16, because every extra day baby spends in utero, gives them a chance to develop more. I was given two sets of steroid shots when I was admitted, to help with lung development, just in case delivery has to happen sooner than planned, so hopefully they will be good. But, I am also pretty happy with both of those dates, as they put me closer to 35 weeks vs 34. May 16 would put me at 34w5d. So please pray that our little baby, and my body, cooperate so we can make it to that date!

I also decided that each day I will try to include the names of my care team, or anyone else I interact with here that leaves me with a positive experience, so I will always have this to remember them by. My day nurse’s name is Rachel. I had her yesterday as well. She was also able to meet Ezra and Chris today. Every nurse also has an assistant that comes in to take vitals periodically, and other random tasks. I unfortunately didn’t catch the assistant’s name today and she forgot to write it on my board, but she was very kind too. She complimented me on my hair, (it’s currently bright pink), and we talked about the care of that and whatnot for a bit. Both my hair and Squishmallow tattoo seems to be conversation starters. Lol. I did have one of the MFM doctors ask about my “Because Jesus” tattoo as well, so that’s always fun to explain. Side note: that’s the only tattoo I have on my left arm. I am reserving that entire arm for my Jesus sleeve. I do have an idea for my next addition to it, but I still have to work with my tattoo artist to put it into action. I do have an appt set up with her in July for a diff tattoo that I was actually supposed to get last Aug, but then she was exposed to Coivd so we had to cancel, and then I fell pregnant with this baby, so now I have to wait. Btw, Karley is a freaking amazing tattoo artist and person, if anyone is looking for a new artist! I love seeing her because we get along super well and can just talk the whole time. She’s amazing.

Completely different topic now. Lol. So, with us having two kids in front facing car seats, and two in rear facing, we need a vehicle that has 2-3 tethers in the third row, so we can safely put Emmett & Grace back there. If you know me at all, you know I take car seat safety VERY seriously, so I’m not willing to risk my kids’ lives for  my own convenience. Emmett is tiny, so he’s still in a high back booster, and Grace is still in a front facing 5 point harness, so they both need the tethers to remain safe. Once we bring this baby home, the goal is to have the two babies in the captain seats in the middle, and the big kids in the back, for sake of ease. We *could* put one of the babies in the third row, but that sounds absolutely horrible, because we’d have to climb over the back seat to do it, and I definitely will not being doing that after my surgery. Anyway, all this to say, we will need a new vehicle. The one I currently have only has one tether in the third row, so the arrangement we’re hoping to do won’t work. Grace and Ezra are currently in the two captain seats and Emmett is in the back. So it works for now, but not much longer. Lol. I’ve asked around in car seat safety groups for cars that have 3 tethers in the third row, and I really like having a minivan, (lol, such a mom, I know), so we will be getting a brand new Toyota Sienna! I first asked my mechanic to make sure it’s a good vehicle that won’t be in the shop constantly, and he assured me Toyota is a good brand so I shouldn’t see many issues with it. Chris and I started shopping around a week or two prior to me getting admitted to the hospital. Unbeknownst to me, Siennas sell off the lot before they even make it there! I called all 4 Toyota dealerships in the state of MI and not a single one had any on the lot, or any that weren’t pre-sold. I should clarify, this is for a 2025 vehicle, Honestly, I NEVER thought I would be a person to buy a brand new vehicle, but they legit barely cost any more than a used one, and obviously come with a much better warranty, so I figured why not go for the brand new one? We have been working with a sales rep, Laurie, at the Toyota dealership in Battle Creek, as Lansing had absolutely nothing in stock, or even coming their way. The other dealerships are in Ann Arbor & Grand Blanc. None of them had anything. It is worth mentioning that Laurie was able to find us exactly what  we were looking for, and we actually had an appt to go see her and do paperwork on April 12…well, as you know the story goes, I was admitted to the hospital in the late hours of April 11, so we were unable to make it. We texted Laurie early in the morning of April 12, letting her know our situation, (she was already aware we are pregnant and expecting a baby soonish), and she seriously has been absolutely accommodating and amazing. She told us not to worry at all, and that once the Sienna came in, it was all ours. Didn’t matter if we had to wait weeks after it arrived to go pick it up. (It’s scheduled to be delivered between April 24-May 4). She even told us she was praying for us and our little one. Y’all, if you are looking for a Toyota, go see Laurie in BC! She’s probably got me a customer for life, as long as she’s selling cars! Anyway, all that to say, while I’m super happy & excited to be getting this vehicle, it’s also kind of a bummer, because Chris is going to have to go pick it up and drive it home, without me, and then I won’t be able to drive it until probably at least a month later, so that really sucks. My first brand new vehicle with zero miles on it, and I won’t even be able to put the first miles on it or drive it for awhile. :( I know Chris is going to try and use his truck as much as possible, but he won’t be able to when he has all 4 kids because he can only safely fit 3 car seats in his back seat. That whole long saga to say, yay for a new car, boo for me not being able to drive it for awhile. 

Today’s entry ended up being much longer than I anticipated. I wasn’t even sure what I was going to write about today. Lol. But I was in a very good mood, after spending so much time with Chris & Ezra today, so I think that helped. Lol. But I’m going to log off for now. I’ll probably order dinner soon and then start watching some shows and play some Monopoly Go. (Btw, if you play, please add me so we can trade stickers! Pm me and I’ll send you my friend link. I have 3 accounts. lol) Anway, hope y’all are having an amazing Good Friday, and let’s not forget, while He went into the tomb today, He will be risen in just a few days! As always, Jesus loves you!