Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all our family and friends! We had a wonderfully relaxing Thanksgiving this year, since we only had one stop to make, and we were able to just relax and enjoy. The morning started out nice and lazy, Logan ran around half dressed all morning and watched some of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time. Logan seemed to like the big air floats the most while watching the parade. Brandi was busy finishing up making turkey leg rice krispie treats in the morning.

Logan enjoying himself sans pants.

Watching the Macy's parade...almost dressed.

Brandi's turkey leg rice krispie treats

Matt got busy making the mashed potato's for the big feast, and by noon it was time to head over to Grandma and Grandpa Blume's. We packed in the car and made the long 2 minute trip down to their house...whew what a drive. As soon as we walked in we could smell Grandma's yummy Thanksgiving food cooking away and soon it was time to carve the Turkey, a tradition Matt has taken over in the past few years.

Working on the bird!

While everyone was busy getting lunch all fixed up and on the table, Logan helped himself to as many grapes as he could, which meant he was pretty full by the time we were ready to eat. Matt did manage to get him to eat some turkey, but Logan liked the grapes the best.

Logan stealing grapes

After dinner we all hung around and talked, and once we were ready, broke out the pies! Lot's of pumpkin pie's and one apple, and of course the rice krispie treats...yum. After desert it was time for the men to retire to the back room for football and the traditional after Thanksgiving nap. Once Logan woke up he was not a happy camper so it was time to go home. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and hope you all did as well! Let the countdown to Christmas begin!

The sign of a good Thanksgiving feast.

Answers...Finally!

My second round of testing came back even worse than the first round, my progesterone was down to 7.7 which takes me out of the normal range (I was low-normal last cycle at 11). So what does this mean? I have a progesterone problem, a hormone imbalance, and I will have to be medicated for all future pregnancies. The progesterone is low enough that I will actually start taking my progesterone before we conceive (so no surprise babies for us ever hehe). It will be tough, since the progesterone makes me feel really bad, and if I do get pregnant, I will obviously have to keep taking it at least throughout the first trimester and possibly some of the second. I believe my mother had to take it into the fifth month, and since I seem to be following her footsteps on this one, I wouldn't doubt that I might be on it that long as well. So we have our answer and we can move on now.
It will still be a tough road ahead but, hey it's worth it! Hopefully my body will adjust to being on the progesterone for a long period of time and the side effects will lessen. I will continue to have blood draws, both before we conceive and after we do, in order to keep an eye on the level and adjust the medicine if needed (If hospital's had freaquent flyer miles, I would be in the gold club by now at LGH). Matt will also have to have a *ahem* test done just to rule out any male factor problems as is protocol with my new hopefully not permanent doctor (still waiting for Dr W to come back). So that is it, we close this chapter of our life hopefully forever and move on to some healthy future pregnancies!

Logan's 1st Day of Mother's Day Out Program

Logan had his first day of Mother's Day Out (MDO) last Friday. It was a tough day for both of us. He was excited when we first got there and he ran off and played with the train table they have there, and I stayed and got all the paperwork and payments worked out. When I was done I let Logan know I was leaving and that I would be back for him after lunch, as I left the director of the program kept Logan busy. When I came back to pick him up he had just had his diaper changed and he was upset. He ran over to me and just put his head down on me. His teacher said he did play some, but he mostly wandered around the room and went to the door looking for me. He sat for a little bit for circle time, came over when they were doing their art project but he didn't really want to participate, so one of the teachers helped him finish, and then he didn't eat lunch. The director said it was typical behavior of a first day and that he will probably cry next week when I drop him off so it will be hard. We know that there will be a transition period for all of us since he has been home with Mom for two years, but in the long run it will be great for him and we hope that he enjoys it soon. Hopefully this week won't be as traumatic for him...and Mom.

Logan's art project he made for Mama

More testing for Brandi

I am going in for more blood work today and then we are starting the whole process over again this month. My body is kind of all over the place right now and the doctor wants to monitor another cycle so we know for sure what is going on and what might need to be done to have a healthy pregnancy next time. So I will update once we get to the end of this monitored cycle and hopefully have an answer. For now I get to be a pin cushion again...

Logan's Neurology Evaluation

Logan's neurology evaluation was done today. The number one reason for large head is usually because it runs in the family, which is what the doctor thought was happening. Because of Logan's speech and developmental delays however, he wants us to watch him for the next 3-6 months and if there isn't enough of an improvement as we see fit, then we will go ahead with testing. Logan has risk factors the land him in the broad spectrum of Autistic disorders, however his behavioral risk factors a very very mild. If we were talking politics and having Autism is right wing conservatives Logan's is as far left and you can go on the liberal side. He does not have Autism, don't worry.

The doctor recommended keep going with his therapies and putting him into a daycare/preschool setting a couple days a week. Luckily, I had already been looking into putting him in a Mother's Day Out program at one of the church's here so we will start there. If the daycare and therapies over the next 3 months show us improvement in speech and social interaction and more appropriate play then we will keep doing what we are doing, if not, Logan will go through the several neurological tests, including an MRI to make sure there is nothing more going on.

The doctor said everything he is delayed on is mild, and that him being an only child and not in a daycare situation probably has a lot to do with his speech delay. His obsession with cars/trains and their wheels along with his sensory issues is what puts him at risk for Autism spectrum disorders. All of this however, has nothing to do with his large head, his head is large because Matt's is large.

So that is all we have for now. We are going to call around and see about getting him into a daycare/preschool/Mother's Day Out program a couple days a week, keep doing therapy as we are, and Gymboree and re-evaluate in 3 months or so.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers, the support means the world to us.

Happy Halloween!!

We all had a fun Halloween yesterday. Logan had a rough morning and did not like his costume, but thankfully after his nap he actually let me put on his costume and he was able to enjoy some trick or treating around. Logan started his trick or treating at Great Grandma and Grandma Blume's and got lot's of fun and yummy treats there. Of course Logan ran around with Daisy for awhile and when it was time to ride out to the Dundee area he was all sweaty from his costume (who knew it would be so warm??) Poor Logan had to ride out to Dundee half naked..oh well. Logan trick or treated at Matt's Parents house next where there were more fun and yummy goodies to be had and finally ended up at Grandma and Grandpa Kois's house for Grandma's annual Halloween dinner. Logan played and watched his new Halloween Thomas the Train DVD and the adults played some fun games and ate lot's of yummy stuff. It was a fun Halloween, but I am sure next year Logan will have even more fun and I foresee us doing a lot more trick or treating!

Our little Rooster!

The Farmer's are their Rooster

We arrived how after 10pm and of course Logan was still kickin, but off to bed he went with lot's of treats in his tummy and Mommy and Daddy stayed up to watch a scary movie...a perfect Halloween!

Test Results for Brandi

My blood test results came back and my progesterone level was indeed low at 11. The nurse said they like to see it higher, and that the doctor wants me to come in for another blood test later in my cycle to see if that number either drops or goes up any. I also received the pathology results from the loss and those results came back showing nothing abnormal. Our sweet Peanut was perfect. So given these two sets of results together it is looking more and more like my progesterone was the cause of the loss. I will most likely be on a form of progesterone for all future pregnancies and be on it at least through the first trimester. The doctor will figure out the specifics of when and how much once I have the second blood draw. We are glad to finally have some answers, but of course it is hard knowing that it could have been prevented and that it was my body that failed. So for now we do a little more waiting and see what the next test says.

Edited to add:
I forgot to say that my progesterone is low, but normal, the low side of normal hence the next blood draw to see it if goes any lower and any higher. The main issue is me maintaining and having the progesterone go up as the pregnancy goes on.