What A Week...

I'm counting last weekend as part of this week because it was a high point in what was a very long week. It seems best to look for the bright spots and hold onto them.

So, last Saturday we got up and headed into Sturgis for the day. It would be our last time getting together with the Roehrig Clan before the baby comes. We were even able to see Tom's brother Don and his family, which we haven't seen since May!! Noelle loved being around her cousins and was instantly taken with baby Macy. Granpa Roehrig was also a big hit, as always! Noelle was able to open some presents and really made out well. For dinner we had a wonderful roast (Granpa Roehrig is a really great cook and makes wonderful meals when we come in) and all the extras, you can't beat that! We headed back to our house after dinner. We only stayed for the day but we had a wonderful time, and even without a nap Noelle was in good spirits.

Onto the first bad part of the week. Wednesday rolled around and we got up extra early to head over to the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center for Noelle's first appointment. I knew going in that there was a great possibility we would end the four hour appointment with depressing news, but I held my head high and said a lot of prayers that my genetics would not be passed along. Well it seems that my genes are very strong! Noelle not only needs glasses, but her prescription was so high that the doctor was surprised she hadn't suffered any developmental delays! Those of you that know Noelle are well aware of the fact she is a typical two year old and definitely doesn't have any developmental delays. To add insult to injury, she not only has a very high prescription, but her left eye crosses and most likely will have to be corrected with surgery and patching. We go back in March to see if the glasses alone have made the correction. The doctor was very honest and told me that it doesn't look promising and surgery will probably be our next course of action.

After getting Noelle's prescription we went to the store in the office and picked out some frames. The whole time we were at the appointment Noelle was an angel, she wanted to play with the toys and then while the doctor examined her she sat on my lap and did exactly as the he asked. When we went to pick out her frames, she had had enough and didn't want to try on any glasses. We settled on a frame, although there were not many to choose from because of the size of her small face. I really didn't want something that would stick out and draw more attention to the glasses. They will arrive in about a week and I'm sure as soon as she puts them on she will love them because she will be able to finally see things! I will post pictures when we get the glasses.

I'm not thrilled about this, as I had hoped and prayed she would not have the same problems as I had with glasses. I was teased a lot during school and because of my prescription I was not able to get contacts until seventh grade. The good news is that in today's world glasses are a lot more fashionable and they can do a lot of reduction to the lenses so they are not "coke bottles" that produce "bug eyes". Noelle is healthy and that is really all that matters. The tears I had shed over the disappointment of me causing this to her have dried and I now am trying to focus on the good, the fact she will be able to see.

That was my Wednesday, now onto Thursday. A day that I had high expectations for. I had a routine doctor's appointment scheduled. I dropped Noelle off at a friend's house because Tom was unable to get out of work to watch her. At the appointment I was give a quick ultrasound to see how the baby was doing. Unfortunately, a silence fell over the doctor's usual chatty exterior as she studied the monitor. She explained that at my point in pregnancy I was showing signs of some low levels of amniotic fluid, not too low that action had to be taken as soon as possible, but low enough to make her concerned. Also, while looking at Max and taking measurements he was showing signs of being on the small side, at only 3.5 lbs, where the average at this point is around 5 lbs. She ordered a more in depth ultrasound for Monday to check on Max's growth and my fluid levels. She did say that he looked very well developed and healthy, just a little small. I wanted to go in and for her to say something along the lines of "everything looks great, see you next week". The good news is that it is better error on the side of caution when it comes to his health and I'll do whatever the doctor says. More information will be had after the ultrasound, but for now I'm taking it easy and praying for the best.

That was our week. Next week better will be better, I can feel it. Monday is my ultrasound, Tuesday our 3rd Wedding Anniversary, Thursday I have another doctor's appointment and then on Friday our little Noelle Rose turns 2. We have her doctor's appointment and Tom's office party at 5pm. It will be a busy week filled with last minute shopping and many appointments and one dinner away from Noelle.