A Proud Wife

It has been almost 3 months since Dave's accident.  I have to tell you, I loved my husband before this accident, and I love him more then I knew was possible now!  Sure, when you almost lose someone you learn to appreciate them more.  But that's not really the main reason I have this new found love for him.  The main reason for this new found love is becasue of the man I have seen him become through this terrible tradgedy.

I told him the other day that I haven't seen him let this accident or his injuries get the best of him.  Most peole (me included) will get down and out on themselves for being limited on what they are able to do...or for not being able to work and provide for your family...or how about not being able to bend over and put on your own socks and shoes!  That alone is enough to drive oneself crazy!  He just recently has been healed enough to sleep in his own bed at night.  He kept trying but our matress put too much pressure on his hip and he just couldn't sleep...so until a few weeks ago he was sleeping in a hospital bed two flights of stairs away from me and Noah. 

I have just been so amazed that he hasn't complained more...I know I would!  LOL...maybe I'm just not as strong as he is...but I know I would complain more abut the pain, the frustration, EVERYTHING!  Dave has taken a different approach.  He knows God saved his life so he has made THAT his focus. 

Dave gave his testimony a few weeks ago at church...it was difficult to listen to him talk about being pinned in that car for an hour...and how he nor the paramedics or firemen were sure if they'd be able to get him out alive...or in one piece.  He said during his testimony that he was having a conversation with Jesus the entire time.  He said that he told Jesus that he was ready to go if that's what his plan was, but if Jesus could spare him he would spnd the rest of his day serving him in gratitude.  And Jesus did just that, and Dave is holding up his part of the bargain as well. 

It's scary to know how close I came to losing him...It's so hard not to think about it.  His bday was not long after the accident, and all I could think of was how thankful we were that he was here to celebrate another birthday.  What has happened to us has been very tough but what we have gained from it has outweighed the bad.  We have gained a new love of life, of eachother, of our family, our church, our friends.  This has really taught us what's most important in life. 

We will spend the rest of our days thanking God.  I know that God has something really big in store for my family.  I have no idea what it is yet, but I'm excited for the journey and I'm all his...whatever he has for us we will do.  We are praying for God to show us his way...and we know within time he will.  For now, we'll just keep praising him, praying for Dave's healing to continue, praying for our new baby coming in September, praying for our amazing Noah to keep thriving, and keep telling others about our testimony and what Jesus has done in our lives. 

Below is the link to the video for dave's testimony.  You have to scroll down and click on  6-3-12 Open Mic 2nd.  Dave will be first after our pastor talks.  It's totally worth your time.

http://sermonplayer.com//includes/popup_player.php?c=13345&by=Date&d=http://sermonplayer.com/&rgbval=16777215&alpha=70

To have another C-section or not...that is the question.

I need some advice...Dave and I are expecting Baby Eli  in September.  Because Noah was an emergency C-section I had planned on having Eli as a C-section as well.  I am now having second thoughts. 

With Dave recently being in a car accident and having a broken hip and some other broken bones I am not sure that I want to be laid up after a C-section.  Dave won't even be able to start walking for another 6 weeks...our hope is that he will be about 90% by the time we have Eli in September...but I don't want to be laid up with another C-section!  Especially if Dave isn't 100%. 

I have heard some pro's and con's to both.  When I spoke with my doctor she made it very clear that it was my choice.  However, I never labored with Noah...never had once contraction.  They took him because his heart rate was super low (and had stopped several times).  So because I haven't labored before, the Doctors can't say that my birth canal is even big enough for a baby to come...but my thought it, my mom, and both my grand mothers were small ladies and they did it several times with no problems.  Come to think of it, I'm actually the first one to have a C-section.  another concern, what if I labor for hours, and still have to have a c-section?  Well that would just suck!  Right?  Third and most major concern- Apparently the biggest fear with a VBAC is that a pregnant woman who has a cesarean scar on the uterus has a slight risk of the scar breaking open during labor. This is called uterine rupture. Although rare, uterine rupture can be life-threatening for both mother and baby. So women with risk factors for uterine rupture should not attempt a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC).  (At least this is what google says...so how do i know if I'm at risk for a uterine rupture?)

Other risks listed:
The risks of VBAC include:

• Problems during labor that result in a cesarean delivery. This occurs with about 20 to 40 out of 100 women who try VBAC. But it doesn't happen with 60 to 80 out of 100 women who try VBAC.¹
• Rupture of the scar on the uterus, which is rare but can be deadly to the mother and baby. A vertical incision used in a past C-section, use of certain medicines to start (induce) labor, and many scars on the uterus from past C-sections or other surgeries are some of the things that can increase the chance of a rupture.
• The chance of infection. Women who have a trial of labor and end up having a C-section have a higher risk of infection. This means that the risk of infection is lower after vaginal births and after planned cesareans

I don't want to be selfish.  I want to do what is BEST for the baby.  Gosh, typing that almost makes me realize that a C-section would be best for the baby but harder on me and Dave.

Thoughts?

Easter Weekend turns in to Monday Nightmare

We had a wonderful Easter weekend with the family.  Dave's Mom and Dad, plus his sister, her huby, and their little boy Tripp all stayed with us at the house. We celebrated Easter morning with a big breakfast following by an Easter Egg hunt outside for Tripp and Noah.  It was game on when Noah realized inside the eggs was candy!  My mom had made a great Easter dinner, and we vegged out the rest of the day, it was even nice enough to go for a walk on boardwalk with the kiddos!  The weekend could not have gone any better...until Monday.

Monday April 9, 2012 was a typical morning in the Watts' household.  I headed off to work knowing that Dave was right behind me.  My In-laws were still in town from Easter but they too were getting ready to head out to make the journey home.  While at work I received a call from a good friend of ours who stated his wife just passed by an accident on Route 50 and she was pretty sure it was Dave's work van in the accident.  I really wasn't sure what to think about this...so I just called Dave to see if he would answer the phone.  No answer....Texted him, no answer...then I got a call from a Salisbury number and my heart sunk...I knew it would be a nurse from the ER in Salisbury and it was.  She informed me that Dave had been in a serious car accident but he was awake but had some serious injuries and at this point all she could tell me was it was his legs.  Not what you want to hear...quite frankly the only thing I wanted to hear was no injuries...guess that wasn't an option.

Thank God my Mother has been around...she droveme to the hospital.  Longest ride of my life (although it's only 30 minutes).  Getting to the ER they set me and my mom up in a private waiting room and informed us that Dave was having a catscan done to determine the extent of his injuries.   When the Doctor finally came to see us (which also seemed like hours) he informed me that Dave's major injury was a broken hip and they wanted to operate immediatly to get the hip back in the socket and stabalize him.  He said the surgeon would come down to talk to us but we could go see Dave.  He prepared me for the extent of his looks and injuries and informed me that they sedated Dave and had a breathing tube in him because the pain was unbearable for him.  If you know my husband, you know he can handle a lot of pain...so I can't even imagine how bad it had of been for them to haave to sedate him. 

Dave was banged up pretty bad...it was so hard to seem him like that...neck brace, breathing tube, IV's, bandages, just a lot going on basically.  Dave was twitching really bad and it was so hard to stand there and look at him.  Our Pastor and his wonderful wife came to the hospital along with our good friend Joe.  Our pastor prayed over Dave before they took him to surgery and we were all escorted to the waiting room to await the outcome of his surgery.  By this point Dave's Mom and Stepdad were with us, and sister on the way.  It must have been several hours of waiting before Dave was out of surgery.  What do you do with yourself while awaiting the results of a major surgery for the love of your life?  Well, I was deffinitly in shock and seemed to do best occupying my mind.  I even called and cancelled my hair appointment scheduled for the following day.  It's amazing when you're in shock the things that you do.

Dave's surgery went well.  They put his leg in a traction system.  This keeps the hip from popping back out until they can do the final surgery to repair the hip.  The put a pin through his bone inhis upper leg and this is connected to a pully system with a 5lb weight on the end of it hangig off the bed...Crazy...My poor Love ws in such pain.  They were able to take him off the breathing tube after surgery and he was moved to the intensive Care Unit to remain until after his next surgery on Wednesday.

It seemed like forever before I was able to see him.  He was still pretty out of it from all the medication, but he turned and looked at me and said "There's my wifey".  He asked what happen, and asked several questions over and over again as he drifted in and out of sleep.  He spent some time with his family before everyone headed home for the night.  I stayed at the hospital with him overnight.

Looking back now (a week and two days later) I think I am finally grasping what has happened.  I am so thankful that the Lord saved my husband's life.  It's crazy when you look at pictures of the accident it's shocking to think he has no upper body injuries.  we think the Lord wapped his upper body in his arms.  I thank the Lord for that every day.  Dave is banged up but will heal.  He's not paralyzed, he still has his legs, and within a few months he'll be walking again.

Praise the Lord.

This isn't a good pic, but you get the picture

From across the highway

Dave in ICU..god Bless him

K.I.S.S....or not

Happy Belated New Year.  Wish I had more time to write, but who does these days!?  So my new years resolution for 2012 was to K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid!)  Ever since I have met my husband we have been going non-stop!  This March will make it 5 years since our first date.  Let me give you a brief run down on our past five years.  After doing long distance for 6 months I decided to sell my house in Harford county and move to the beach to be with Dave.  My parents also moved, and we also moved our mortgage company here.  I bought a home here in Ocean Pines that Dave and I and our three dogs moved in to...Then after dating for a year Dave propose to me in Costa Rica.  That was May 08.  We got married June 2009, had Noah November 2010, and adjusted to our new lives as parents in 2011.  It's been a world wind for us!  We just wanted to take a year to kinda live our lives...breathe a little, and go from there.  Just "Keep things simple" for a while...

Soooooo....as I was typing out this new years resolution on my FB page I was about 4 weeks pregnant...just didn't know it yet!  It's funny when you think you have everything planned out God laughs and says "that's not my plan for you!!!"  And then he reveals his plan!  But we couldn't be happier!  We are 11 weeks pregnant now, and expecting baby # 2 early September.  My due date is September 15th, but they will take me a week early and do a C-section since Noah was a c-section.  So our kiddo's will be 22 months apart!  OY!  That is gonna be ALOT of work!!!!  But we can't wait!! 

I love how God works!  I love that how he reminds you/me that it's his plan not ours!  I needed a reminder of this, and what better reminder then this!  Now I get to have another baby!  Dave keeps asking "How are we going to afford day care for two?  How are we going to do this or that?"  And i keep telling him, "I don't know!  We'll figure it out!!!!"  And I know we will! 

So, this pregnancy has been completely different then the last!  I had the best pregnancy with Noah, so I probably deserve a little taste of the morning sickness!  This time I have been pretty sick.  It seems to be subsiding now that I am almost into my second trimester!  Thanking God! 

Everyone keeps saying they hope we have a little girl so we have the "perfect" family...but I think our family will be perfect boy or girl!  I am leaning towards this one being a girl just because how different the pregnancy has been...but either way, I will be tickled pink or blue!)

How I told Dave is pretty funny!  I had a pretty good suspicion that I was pregnant, but didn't want to tell Dave until I knew for sure.  So I had a positive pregnancy test and went to my doc and also got a positive blood test, there certainly was no denying it.  So I went to Carter's and picked up a shirt for Noah that said "Big Brother".  Put it on Noah when I picked him up from day care.  Dave didn't even notice the shirt until I pointed it out to him.  LOL, he was certainly shocked!  But happy Schocked!!!  HAHA!  So we decided to tell our parents, and even they didn't notice the shirt!  We were going to wait to tell everyone else but we were so excited, and Dave kept telling more and more people so we finally just decided to tell the world.  Here's Noah in his "Big Brother" shirt.



I can't figure out how to rotate the pic...but you get the point!



Day Care...

When your "baby" turns into a toddler things certainly do change.  I have to say, so far we are having a blast at this stage of Noah's life.  He is so much fun right now!  He is speaking so well, playing so hard, and just such a happy little man!  I look forward to every evening we get to spend together as a family and every weekend.
Becoming a toddler also meant a new daycare room for Noah...no more nursery for him!  This was a good transition for Noah and a much needed one!  He had been spending time in the toddler room as the day care slowly transitioned him to the toddler room full time.  He had a little difficulty adjusting at first to only one  nap a day, but seems to have adjusted to that now.  Although, when he's home he still takes two!  The kids in the toddler room with Noah were all familiar to him, as most of them were in the nursery with him at one time or another.  There were a few new faces for him to get to know and he seemed to do so with ease....until recently.

I picked Noah up from day care about a month ago and there was an injury report on his chart.  It's not uncommon to find out he has fallen and ended up with a bump somewhere, but this was a bite.  A bite by another toddler.  Hmm...I really wasn't sure what to think of this.  Noah certainly had teeth marks left on his arm, and this bite eventually left a small bruise.  But, this had never happened before and I wasn't quite sure what to think.  I was sad that Noah had been hurt.  No one wants that for their baby.  But what is the protocol for biting?  I really had no clue.  I let this go assuming kids will be kids, and really didn't think too much about it...until he got bit again the next week by the same kid.  After the second time I did some research online to see if this was a common problem at day cares and what to do about it.  I certainly don't want Noah getting bit or hit for that matter on a regular basis at day care or anywhere!  Day care should be a safe environment for the kids, and this is starting to make me feel uncomfortable.

What I read online said that biting can be an issue with some toddlers as it becomes their way to communicate since some don't use words well yet.  Article after article online stated that typically the biting can be stopped by either removing the biter from the classroom and putting them either one-on-one until it is under control or in the next classroom ahead of them as they tend not to bite older kids or in the classroom below them as they don't feel as threatened by the younger kids.  Articles online also said that typically after about a week of removing the child they are able to go back to their normal class and have no problems as the habit has been broken.  In some cases articles said that if the biting persisted then unfortunately that child had to be removed from day care all together.  I say unfortunately as that would suck for the parents to have to figure out what to do...but what is best for the other children and the teachers?  This child monopolizes the time of the teachers as they are having to watch him so closely to make sure he doesn't bite, hit, or pull hair.  (yes, the kid pulls hair too!)  And the other kids are subject to this violence, and it will only be a matter of time before the other kids start biting and hitting, and then what do you do?  Then you have a full room of kids abusing each other!

So, I met with director of the day care after the second time, and she really wasn't that concerned about this.  She admitted that she had dealt with her own child being a biter in past years and that it was a horrible situation.  She eventually had to hire a teacher to take care of her child one-on-one until the biting was under control.  She told me she was going to check with the teachers in the toddler room and find out just how bad this biting problem was and come up with a game plan.  That was it, she never followed up with me to tell me what they had decided to do.  So, when Noah got bit for the third time in two weeks, it was not good. 

I was working late so Dave picked Noah up that day, and Dave was already pretty annoyed that the situation had gotten as bad as it had without anything being done.  Now, for those of you who don't know my Dave, he tends to be a little hot-headed from time to time.  When he picked Noah up and got the accident report that Noah had been bit again, it was not good.  He said some things he shouldn't have said to the teachers and to the assistant to the director (the director had gone for the day).  He was very angry as nothing had been done.  The biter was still in the class, biting, hitting, pushing, pulling hair...you name it, this kid was doing it!

Dave came home furious and we called a meeting with the director for the next afternoon.  When we met with her she went over their game plan of how they were handling this child and what they were going to do to get this under control.  She said they were adding a teacher to the room to shadow that child solely and that when they weren't able to add a teacher they would put this child in a different room.  I felt the efforts would probably do the trick...but the teacher assigned to this child would really have to stay on top of him. 

Sooooooo...the story continues.  Noah hasn't been bit since the third time, but he has been hit, pushed, and had his hair pulled...and I have witnessed all three...and all three by the same kid.  I'm not sure if he is singling Noah out but every single day when I drop Noah off that kid comes running over to Noah and tries to hit him, push him, or pull his hair.  I have stopped him several times, and so have teachers.  My sweet boy is screaming every day I drop him off.  This absolutely breaks my heart.  As soon as he sees the boy he starts to cry, it's like he knows what's in store for him all day long.  I have felt like such a horrible mother leaving him there.  I pick him up as early as I can, which unfortunately isn't that early.  I have held back tears all week every morning leaving him there.  I truly feel that he is being abused at day care.  They seem to have the biting under control but what are they doing about this child hitting?  Not a thing.  Yes, kids hit and push, but when it is happening this often something needs to be done!

Why would day care be letting this happen?  When do you say enough?  When do you say, this child obviously needs one-on-one care and isn't suitable to be at a day care?  He is a danger to other kids, and teachers for that matter!  (My husband watched him hit a teacher one day too.)  I have been completely appalled by how day care has handled this situation, or lack there of!  Why would they let this continue? 

They may let it continue, but Dave and I won't.  Noah's last day is this Friday and he will no long have to be subject to this abuse.  I can't wait to get him out of there.

To the teachers at this day care who may come across this blog, I want you to know that I think you all are great, and truly love you all for taking such good care of my boy. Please do not feel this is any reflection on you.  There is only so much you are allowed to do, and can do.  This situation has been out of your hands, and I know that.  Thank you for taking such good care of Noah since he was 7 weeks old. 

So the point of this blog is just for me to be able to vent my frustrations and if another parent who has a kid at this day care comes across this and they want to know more, I'd be glad to share.  I won't list the name of this day care because I don't feel it's necessary.  Any parent who loves and wants to protect their child I feel would do the same if not more then Dave and I are doing. 

                                   What can I say?  We love this little man!