Bye Bye Piggy Party

So it looks like we will be throwing a "Bye Bye Piggy Party" on February 25th. What is that you ask? We will be saying Hasta La Vista to Parker's extra thumb, better known as his 11th piggy. We saw an orthopedic surgeon at Duke last week by way of recommendation from our good friends whose son, Ethan, had surgery with Dr. F. He was extremely knowledgeable and made us feel very comfortable. He basically told us that each finger has two tendons that run up and down, one on the right side of the finger and one on the left. Since Parker's extra digit is shared, he only has two tendons total for his double thumbs (see his x-ray below).

What Dr. F. has to do is 1) Remove the extra digit 2) Move the right most tendon from his 11th finger and set it to his real thumb. 3)Set his bone so that it grows straight (said he doesn't foresee having to pin his thumb but won't know until he gets in there.) Here is a run down of his upcoming surgery:

- It will last about 2 hours.

- It's an outpatient surgery.

- He will have to be put under anesthesia...but the good news is that it is going to be done by the Pediatric Head of the anesthesiology unit at Duke Hospital.

- He will have to wear a full arm cast up to his armpit for 6 weeks.

- He should not need any OT or PT.

- His thumb growth will be a bit stunted, resulting in a shorter, chubbier thumb than his left hand. If you look at the x-ray you can see the lower bone in his thumb is shorter and wider because of double growth.

- He should have full, normal function of his hand after surgery.

Keep us in your prayers as this surgery is coming a lot faster than I thought it would.

-

Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro...

Our little man is 4 months old! He had his check up appointment today and everything looks great! His weight is finally back up (14 lbs. 15 oz), putting him in the 47th percentile. His length was 25.75 inches, putting him in the 79th percentile. We have a long and lean baby apparently, which has been the case since he's been born. He is reaching all of his milestones, and then some. Parker has been released to eat solid foods, so we are slowly beginning to introduce those into his diet. (Pictures and video to come...) I am going to attempt to make my own baby food, since it's cheaper and healthier. Exciting times ahead...

Here is a list of Parker's most recent milestones:

1) He rolls from his back to his tummy and his tummy to his back on purpose.

2) He blows bubbles and raspberries.

3) He "talks" back and forth with you.

4)He is trying to laugh, but instead makes a very high pitched "eek" sound.

5) He grabs objects and pulls them to him.

6) He holds his head up at a complete 90 degree angle on his tummy.

7) He's learning how to grab his paci and bring it to his mouth, although he can't quite get it in the hole yet. :)

8) He is beginning to consistently sleep through the night (YEA!!!). Naps are a totally different story. Apparently some 4 months olds don't feel the need to nap.

9) He follows his mommy and his daddy....nonstop...all the time...and God forbid he looses sight of you...because he'll let you know he doesn't like being alone.

I am really looking forward to the holiday season and spending time watching Parker grow and develop every day. I sat here 5 mins ago and looked at pictures of Parker when he was first born and his first days in the hospital. I can't believe that was only 4 months ago. It seems like forever ago, yet it seems like yesterday. It's a strange feeling...

Happy 4 Months Little Man!

Movie Monday

Here's To Movie Monday...

This is one of Parker's favorite new games that Nana plays with him. He is completely ticklish.

Daddy loves teaching Parker how to play the drums. He's hoping Parker will follow in his footsteps one day.

Parker loves his activity mat. He talks to his animals and watches himself in the mirror.

My Lil Pumpkin

We went to the pumpkin patch for a little pumpkin fun.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

And my favorite from the day...

Baby Brain

The following is a sampling of reasons why I have recently diagnosed myself as crazy and how I know that I have officially lost it. This list occurred in less than a week's time and all examples are 100% true.

1) When cleaning up dinner tonight, I put two dirty dishes in the fridge instead of the dishwasher.

2) I wore slippers out and didn't realize it until I reached my destination.

3) I have gotten dressed two days in a row and forgot to put on my "undergarments."

4) Coke and Halloween candy have become suitable breakfast items.

5) I took Aaron to pick up his jeep at the shop. The plan was to follow him to drop it off at his mom's and then bring him back home. I honest to God forgot and left him stranded with no ride until I received a call from him 10 minutes later asking where I was. Even then it didn't click that I came home without him. Poor thing had to spell it out for me...

6) I was trying to cook dinner last night and for the life of me could not figure out why our water was not boiling. It took me 10 minutes to realize I had not turned the burner on.

7) After dinner I went upstairs to fold the laundry and realized the clothes were still soaking wet. Surprise surprise...I didn't turn the dryer on either.

8) I locked myself out of the house. Never in my life have I done this...

I guess only getting 3-4 hours of sleep a night for over 3 months has finally made me lose it.

You better lock me up before someone gets hurt or someone goes missing...

Here's to hoping that I don't leave Parker somewhere....I wouldn't put it past me.

Blessed

I have to admit how blessed I feel to be raising Parker with Aaron. We have not had an "easy" first three months with our little guy, but I have had the best partner to tackle the tough times. Aaron has been such a tremendous support for me. He always encourages me to talk about my feelings and struggles as a mom, and doesn't judge me for what I say. He recognizes when I am at my breaking point, and does 100% of the Parker duties (including mid-night feedings) to give me a break. He takes over at night when he gets home from work to give me some time to get stuff done around the house. He encourages me daily to keep my head up and keep going forward. When there are times that I am truly overwhelmed, he encourages me to enjoy every moment, as they will be gone before we know it. Aaron reminds me that this too shall pass (whatever it might be) and that we are in it together. I know without an ounce of doubt that he will be there for me and Parker at any moment in time. He has already had such a strong presence in both of our lives and I feel truly grateful for having him as my husband and my son's daddy.

At church this Sunday my pastor said something that really stuck with me:

"Peace is not the absence of conflict. Rather it is the harmony of all things." This one statement made me look at being a mom in a very different light. I have to realize that we are a family, working together as one to achieve different goals. There will be conflict, hard times, and discouraging moments along the way. But if we work as "one", we will find peace in the midst of it all. I am so lucky to have a husband who I get to share this journey with. One who loves me and Parker unconditionally. One who encourages me daily. One who supports our family structure. One who works hard to provide financially for our family to allow me the chance to stay at home. One who helps me focus on the positive side of things. One who is an awesome dad to his son and an incredible husband to his wife.

Aaron...thank you for the man that you are and the woman that you encourage me to be. I love you to the moon and back ;)

"So when you say forever, can't you see? You've already captured me..."

Who Knew It Could be so Entertaining?

Parker has become very aware of his surroundings and focuses intently on objects around him. We were eating dinner last night and Parker was very interested in something at the dinner table. I was laughing like crazy and just had to get it on video. This is one of several of Parker's followings that night a dinner.

Talk to me...

Here is an example of the very productive conversations that have been occuring at our house for the past week. This conversation is about the parts of the body.

Lesson of the Day

Parker receives "Lessons of the Day" from his Aunt Stacey and Grandma whenever they are visiting. We decided to follow in their footsteps. Below is Parker's Lesson of the Day. He was a wonderful student and he listened intently.

This lesson is brought to you by the letter "G" and the person, Daddy.

Look What I Can Do!

Praise God!

This weekend we brought Parker to my home church in Charlotte and had him baptized. We promised to bring him up in a Christian household, making sure that God is the center of his life. My sister, Stacey, and my brother-in-law, Alan, were asked to be his Godparents. Their role is to help remind Parker the importance of faith in his everyday life. They both are already an AWESOME aunt and uncle and I know how lucky Parker is to have them in his life. It was a very special weekend for the whole family. Many family and friends came out to church on Sunday morning. Thank you to all who came to support Parker's special day.

The Perfect Blend

I have Daddy's round head and Mommy's pug nose.

I have Daddy's cute lips and his chubby little toes.

I have Mommy's long fingers...

and her big feet too.

I have Daddy's eye color, a deep ocean blue.

I have Mommy's long legs that go on for a mile.

But I have my own distinct, handsome smile.

My backside is narrow and round as can be. I have a perfectly mixed personality.

I am the perfect blend of my Mommy and my Daddy.

But inside and out I am my own special me!

This Little Piggy Went to Market...

This little piggy went to market

This little piggy stayed home

This little piggy ate roast beef

This little piggy had none

And this little piggy went

Wee Wee Wee all the way home...

And this little piggy....well, we are not sure what he did...

"Parker is cute and healthy. He has 11 fingers..."

This is the first thing I remember Aaron saying to me after arriving in the recovery room after my C-section. I thought for sure he was joking about the 11 fingers thing. Knowing Aaron, I figured he was trying to make me laugh after going through such a tough labor. After me shooting his comment down several times he said, "No I'm serious. Look." Sure enough, my son had 11 fingers, having an extra thumb on his right hand. After talking with several nurses in the recovery room, and later with Parker's pediatrician, apparently it is very common. It's a genetic autosomal mutation, called Polydactly. It happens about 1 in every 400-500 births. We had no idea where this mutation had come from, being a hereditary mutation. After a bit of conversation with our families, we discovered that it comes through Aaron's side. There is only a cousin that we know who had characteristics of this (he had a growth on his two pinkies when he was born, but neither of them contained bone or appeared as a full finger). Each child born in a family carrying this gene has a 50% chance of showing the mutation. Of all of Aaron's family members, Parker was the lucky 50%.

We made an appointment with a hand specialist to get more information about Parker's condition. After talking with the hand specialist, we came out of the appointment with the following information:

- Parker's specific mutation is called Polydactly Wassels Type II. Polydactly occurs in 1 in 400-500 births, but Wassels Type II occurs in about 1 in every 10,000 births. Wassels Type II is not related to a hereditary gene, as previously thought from information received from the hospital. It is a random genetic mutation that occurs. This means that chances of Aaron and I having another child with this syndrome is 1 in 10,000 (like it is for everyone), but the chance of Parker's children having this syndrome is 50% for every child (since he now carries the gene).

- Wassels Type II means that there is an extra bone extension and a shared tendon. The bone will be removed, but the tendon has to be reattached to Parker's "real" thumb during the surgery. This is to prevent his body thinking that he still has a thumb and to prevent continued growth of an extra digit.

- He will need to have surgery when he is a year old to correct his finger. They can't do it any earlier because it's too hard to perform surgery on such tiny hands. They could do it at 6 months if it was just bone, but because it involves the tendon, we'll need to wait.

- The recovery period is 6 weeks long. He will have a pin put in his thumb to keep it growing straight, instead of curving to the side. The doctor will put a soft cast on his hand during the recovery period.

- The doctor said he does not foresee him having to have occupational therapy or physical therapy. The surgery also should not affect his fine motor development at all.

- The surgery should last 30 minutes and is considered outpatient. Parker will have to be put under general anesthesia.

We were not in love with the doctor that we saw this past week, although he did provide us with some good information. There were a few comments made that left a bad taste in my mouth. We have been given the name of an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in pediatrics at Duke. Our friends Joye and Jeramie used this surgeon for their son Ethan and have recommended him to us. We have an appointment scheduled for November (which is far off, but a good sign that he's so good).

We love Parker just the way he is, but will do anything to help him along his way...

We'll keep you updated as we find out more information...

(I will post pictures of his 11 piggies tomorrow)

One Month Later

Well here we are, one month later. I can't believe it. I have neglected the blog, because for some odd reason, my son seemed a little bit more important! :)

A lot has happened this past month so I'm going to quickly sum it up for you here:

~ Parker was born Thursday, July 15th at 11:01 pm. He was 9 lbs. 11 oz. and 22 1/4 inches long. 95-99% in both categories. After a day of labor and three hours of pushing, Parker arrived via C-section.

~ We came home Sunday, July 18th.

~ Parker had his first doctor's appt on Tuesday, July 20th, where he had only gained 3 oz. since leaving the hospital. We were put on an every 2 hour feeding schedule round the clock. This did a number on my body, ability to sleep, and my emotions for the first two weeks. I dealt with heavy "baby blues" for the first two weeks.

~ Aaron went back to work after a week and then did a bunch of work related traveling over the next three weeks. Thank the heavens for Grandparents who helped out a ton! I couldn't have done it without them. (Thank you Grandma and Nana!)

~ Parker had his two week doctor's appt. He regained his birth weight. We were released to an every 3 hour feeding schedule. This was heavenly and a breath of fresh air for me. Parker also received his very first shot in his thigh.

~ Parker's umbilical cord fell off on Monday, August 2nd.

~ Parker's Great Aunt Gail came to visit from New York with Grandma August 6th-9th while Daddy was in Las Vegas living it up.

~ We are heading to Charlotte this weekend so that Parker can meet his Great Grandma for the first time. Wish us luck packing up a newborn for the first time. This will be an interesting challenge :) Pictures to come...

Life with a baby has been emotional, exhilarating, exhausting, challenging, special, unforgettable, a game of trial and error, and it has ultimaely shown me a unique kind of love. After making it through the frst two weeks of mommyhood (which I never thought would happen), there was definitely a turning point in my outlook on being a mom. I love my role now!! I look at Parker and realize that no matter the stresses we go through, it's all worth it for my little guy. It is amazing how dependent they are on you and the kind of bond that it forces you to create with your child. It's amazing how you can decipher every single cry and what it means, how you know just the way they want to be held to soothe them, the calming effect your heartbeat has on your child, the natural rhythms and reactions of their body to certain stimuli, and an unspeakable love between parent and child. It has only been a month and the bond between me and Parker has grown tremendously. I can't imagine how much stronger that bond will continue to grow...

Son...You are everything I thought you would be and so much more...

Introducing Parker Aaron Chappell

Parker Aaron Chappell was born at 11:01pm last night (7.15.10) weighing 9 lbs 11 oz, measuring 22 and 3/4 inches long. This will be kind of a short update type posting. I'm sure Lauren will post her thoughts later on, but I wanted to get all the important info out to everyone asap. Lauren was in labor all day yesterday, and started pushing around 7:30pm. After pushing for 2.5 hours, the Doctor decided that a C-Section was our best option. Both Lauren and Parker are doing great now. We got settled into our room around 3am, and are incredibly tired.


Lauren is absolutely exhausted, and will need to focus on recovering over the next few days. Our Doctor advised us last night to limit visits over the next couple of days, so we are asking that friends hold off on coming to see us at the hospital for now. We will let folks know when Lauren feels up to it.

Thank you all for your prayers and support over the past few days. Here are a few pictures of our new son and incredible journey last night!

Our first night at the hospital...

Last night Lauren and I were admitted to Rex Hospital to officially begin our journey into parenthood. I say "our" journey...but Lauren's doing all the work! We were originally supposed to come in to the hospital early yesterday evening, but apparently last night was a pretty popular night for women to go into labor. The head nurse here told us there were 7 babies born between 7-9pm...and 18 women in labor overall last night. We finally got the call from the hospital around 9pm telling us to come in, and were able to get admitted and settled into our labor room around 11pm.

The original plan was that we would arrive last night, and the doctor would administer Cervidil to loosen up Lauren's cervix in preparation to start the induction process first thing Friday morning. However, when the doctor performed the physical exam last night, we discovered that Lauren was already 2cm dilated, and that her cervix had started to soften on its own. Our doctor decided to go ahead and start the Pitocin last night! This pretty much advanced our original plans by about 9-10 hours, so we're extremely happy about that.

Our head nurse has told us that the doctor will be in within the next hour or so to break Lauren's water. From what we've been told, that's when the pain starts to get worse and things really kick into high gear.

Right now Lauren is doing great! She's in great spirits, and the Pitocin is working like a charm. She's having regular contractions, but they aren't very intense yet. She wasn't able to get a ton of sleep last night because she's tall and her feet hang off the end of her bed! I was able to get about 5 hours of sleep on the pullout cot the hospital provided. We're both incredibly excited, and will probably post again once her water has been broken and things are starting to pick up.

-Aaron

Dear Son...

"You will be safe in His arms. The hands that hold the world are holding your heart. This is the promise He made. He will be with you always..."

Dear Parker,

You don't know it yet, but you are about to meet your mommy and daddy and the rest of the world who have been waiting so anxiously. You have been a stubborn little guy who has loved spending time in your mommy's belly. You know that the space is yours, and yours only, and you are not willing to give it up yet to share the space with the world. I guess I can understand that...

The doctors want you to come on out and start your life on the outside because you are getting too big to stay in mommy's tummy. Mommy and daddy are heading to the hospital tonight so that we can start the process to meet you. I have a 1,000 different emotions running through me right now. Fear, anxiety, excitement, happiness, worry, anticipation, but most importantly, love like you can't even imagine. People have always said that you know no love like the love of a parent for a child. Daddy and I haven't even met you yet, but our love for you is already unexplainable. I can't imagine what it'll be like once we lay our eyes on you and hold you in our arms for the first time. We are never going to want to let you go. You might be carried to your high school prom in our arms :)

Mommy and Daddy's lives are about to change drastically, but we couldn't have imagined it any other way. We are ready to kiss your cheeks, change your stinky diapers, stay up with you at night when you are fussy (well Daddy isn't too excited about that part), and watch you grow up....

I want you to know that you have a wonderful Daddy who is going to show you how to grow up into a respectable, honest, caring, man of God. He has prayed for you every day. The thing he looked forward to most every day was laying on mommy's tummy, talking to you, and feeling you move in my belly. You already know your Daddy's voice and you get so excited when he talks to you. A lot of times you sleep all day until you hear your Daddy come home and you go crazy! The other night Daddy got you so excited that you were jumping and rolling for about 2 hours and Mommy couldn't sleep. Daddy thought it was funny, but Mommy was tired. He just couldn't get enough of feeling you move around. There was not one day that passed where Daddy didn't love on you as much as he could. Just know that you are so lucky to have him in your life as your Daddy. You guys are going to be best buddies. Don't forget about me... ;)

Daddy and I's love for each other has grown so much because of you. We just talked the other night about how this pregnancy has infused a bond between us that is so strong. We loved each other beyond words before you came to be, but the gift of you has made our love so much stronger. I pray that as you grow, you can witness what true love looks like. I pray that you can use Daddy and I's marriage as a vision of what you should expect for yourself one day. I know we will make mistakes, there will be disagreements, feelings might get hurt, but in all of that, I pray that how we handle each situation radiates the deeper love we have for one another. I know we both want to create a home that is full of love, communication, excitement, and grace and we want you to be a part of that with us.

I know God has formed you from the second we started praying to start a family. You have been created specifically for us, and we couldn't feel more blessed. We hope you can say the same as you grow older...that you felt blessed to have us as parents. We are going to do anything we can to achieve that.

Parker, we love you beyond words. We are so excited to meet you and start a family with you. We can't believe that in less than 2 days, you will be here snuggled in our arms.

Son, we love you to the moon and back....

Let's Take a Look Back...

I got nostalgic today looking through old pictures on my camera. I found pictures of me before I was pregnant and pictures when I was first pregnant. I forgot what it feels like to be "normal", although I know I am going to miss being pregnant as soon as Parker is born. I also forgot what I looked like before being pregnant until I saw these pictures. I hope you enjoy the transformation as much as I did! (Next pregnancy I will definitely take weekly pictures so I can watch the progress more closely.)

Before pregnancy...

Before pregnancy...

18 Weeks

Building a shelf at 20 Weeks

26 Weeks

30 Weeks

31 Weeks

Caught red handed at 32 Weeks

33 Weeks

35 Weeks

36 Weeks

37 Weeks

40 Weeks

Stick a fork in me....I'm done! My poor belly can't grow any more...