Lots to be thankful for!

Our hearts are full of praise this week as we continue to thank God for His goodness!  We were able to have the fetal echo done on Tuesday and everything looked great!  It was nice to have Lyla's cardiologist be the one we had the consult with as well :-)  It was like a weight was lifted off our chest as we heard the news that the heart looks great and everything is on the correct side!  The tech showed us the stomach and I asked her which side it was on.  She just looked at me like I was crazy and said, "The stomach is on the left."  :-)  Not that the situs inversus is a problem, but now we know that we don't have to worry about anything!  Our level 2 ultrasound is on Monday, but we're really not expecting them to find anything else wrong.  Oh and did I mention...we're having a BOY!!!  That was the icing to the cake :-)

Also, I just got off the phone with the MRI scheduling department for Lyla's cardiac MRI.  Her appointment is set for next Thursday, May 2 at 10:30.  Please pray for all to go well as she will be sedated and intubated for the test.  I'm already a mess...it was hard watching her wake up last time and now she's older and more aware.  We continue to thank you all for your prayers as we continue on this journey with our baby girl.  It has been a long road and yet we have seen  God's faithfulness in every step!

Easter :-)

So, I guess I kind of forgot about Easter in being amazed that Lyla is 10 months old :-)  We had a great weekend with family back in Lebanon!  Lyla had her 1st Easter egg hunt (meaning we put eggs in front of her with puffs :-).  She still plays with an Easter egg that made it home with us.  She got to wear her bunny tutu on Sunday as well :-)  It will be exciting when she's older to be able to explain why we celebrate Easter and all the things her Savior has done for her, and the world!

We had her cardiologist appointment today that went as well as expected.  Everything looks the same, which is always a good thing!  She was not so fond of the echo today...being held down is no fun.  It took both Peter and I to restrain her, and even then with all the screaming, the tech couldn't get the pictures he needed.  It was a long day.  They are looking to schedule the MRI in the next few weeks to get a better look at the pulmonary arteries again.  We were expecting that to be done this summer, but I guess they felt like it needed to be moved up.  After that, Lyla's team of doctors will discuss what steps to take next.  The cardiologist wasn't concerned about Lyla's growth and didn't think that her heart has anything to do with how small she is :-)

Another good thing about our visit today, they told us we could go in for our fetal echo as soon as possible!  They actually said that they see patients between 13-14 weeks and then again between 18-20.  So, we kind of missed the first one, but oh well :-)  So, I was able to schedule that appointment for April 23.  Please be praying for peace and accuracy of the test!  It will be a relief to not have to wait longer to see if there are any heart problems!  God is good and we keep trusting Him with this new baby :-)

10 months!

Lyla is 10 months old today!  She has been so happy today which is making it a joy to celebrate with her today :-)  We started the day by going to her follow up weight check with the doctor.  Thankfully, she gained 10 oz since her last check up!  Even though this only puts her in the 3rd percentile for weight, her doctor is completely happy with how she looks and the fact that she's gained weight.  We see the cardiologist on Wednesday, so it will be interesting to get their input as well.

We continue to fall in love with Lyla more and more every day!  She is such a blessing in our life and we can't stop praising God for the wonderful gift that she is to us :-)  This little girl doesn't like to stay still!  She is far more interested in everything else in the house than her own toys.  She likes to go to the steps and play peek-a-boo around the banister with us.  Her new favorite place is the kitchen...I guess simply because we don't allow her in there often :-)

Baby Rauch #2 is also doing well :-)  I got to hear the little heartbeat at my OB appointment!  It's the best noise in the whole world!  We go to the high risk doctor on April 29 for a level 2 ultrasound and anatomy scan.  We are excited to see if Lyla will have a little brother or sister :-)  From there, they will refer us to the cardiologist for a fetal echo.  We're still praying believing that this baby is completely healthy and no other problems are present!

I'll update again after our cardiologist visit on Wednesday.  We should be discussing the possibility of another MRI this summer for Lyla to again monitor how her narrowed pulmonary arteries are holding up.  Pray for wisdom for the doctors that they take the right actions at the right time.  Pray for peace as we wait for these last procedures to be scheduled.  And please pray for baby #2 as we wait anxiously to see if everything is ok :-)

9 months!

Our baby is 9 months old!!!  It's crazy!  We were just talking about it the other day and really can't remember our lives before Lyla.  In the scheme of things, being married for 4 years, 9 months really isn't that long.  Yet, this little girl has forever changed our hearts :-)  Lyla is so active these days!  She is crawling everywhere, chasing kitties, pulling herself up on everything, and making us realize how many things we need to put away :-)

She responds to "no" as well.  Even before we have to say it, if she knows we've said it before, she'll look back at us to see what we're going to do.  It's crazy how soon you can see the sinful nature coming out in children!  She throws tantrums when she doesn't get what she wants.  She is a sinful being and I pray every day that she will come to know the Lord - the One who saved her life from the beginning.

She has been sick the past few days...leading to us having to clean up the biggest mess she's ever made on Sunday!  We were heading out for lunch and hear the grossest noise, and all of her lunch came up in the car :-(  Poor baby.  Yesterday was her scheduled 9 month pediatrician appointment, so I figured she could get looked at then.  Hopefully we are past the worst!

At our appointment yesterday, the doctor said she looks great!  The only thing they're a little concerned about is her weight since she's steadied off, and now losing weight since December/January.  I have to start supplementing soy milk and try upping the amount of solid food she gets.  Hopefully, by our follow up appointment in a month, she will gain some weight.  I'm really hoping that it's just because my milk supply has gone down due to being pregnant.  Hopefully with the added soy milk she'll be getting all that she needs.  Please pray that it is nothing more!!  The cardiologist is keeping a close eye on her growth since it can be tied to her heart.  Our next appointment with them is April 17.  We're hoping to get a clean bill of health heart-wise.

Again, please pray that Lyla gains weight, and that we will know when to be concerned or when it's just her growing and moving a lot.  She could just be a small baby!  But we definitely can't over look the heart factor in all of this.

Surprise!

Well...God continues to show us that His plan is so much better than our own!  We found out late in January that we are expecting a baby brother or sister for Lyla in September!  We were definitely not expecting or planning this, but clearly God had other plans :-)  And we are completely ok with that!  After a long road trying to get pregnant with Lyla, this is such a blessing that God has chosen to give us.  It definitely complicates some decisions we are making, but we are trusting still that God's plan is always better than our own.

Along with the excitement of expecting this new baby comes some fears as well.  As it is so close to Lyla's birth and complicated situation, everything is still so fresh in our mind about what we went through with her.  It is easy to fear that we possibly could have to go through that again.  It's crazy right???  We just had an awesome chance to see how amazingly God answers prayers and is faithful to us...and yet I can doubt?  I often have to dwell on what we went through simply to remind myself of all the blessings we received this past year. And also, knowing that if this baby has complications, that God will once again get us through that as well.

Most people are wondering what the chances of having another heart baby is.  We have been told that the chances are exactly what they are for everyone else.  We don't have a higher chance of another heart defect.  However, my doctors are taking precautions and are sending me to a high risk doctor for consultation along with my anatomy scan.  From there, they will refer us to the cardiologist for a fetal echo.  Our main prayer is that this baby is healthy and strong.

Please pray with us for the development of this baby and for peace for Peter and I as we wait to see if there are any complications.  Pray for wisdom as we look to relocate sometime this year...should we move before or after baby?  Pray for a job for Peter when the time comes (and also, for what that time is :-), as well as a location to move to.  Lots to consider!!  We are trying our best to rest in the knowledge that God already has everything planned out and we just need to trust that He will lead us there when the time is right :-)  I'm glad to share our excitement with you!

So...since November was the last time I posted on CaringBridge, I figured I should update everyone on what's been going on since then.  We had a great time celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas with our families.  We got to see all of Peter's family at some point in time and my sister as well :-)  Lyla absolutely loved all the attention!  During our Christmas visit, she got 2 teeth!  I think she's getting the top ones in now because she is not herself!

In January, Lyla got her 6 month shots as well as the flu shot.  The next day, she got a rash all over her face that eventually spread to her whole body.  Poor baby!  We finally got told it was eczema and hydrocortizone ointment was able to get it under control.  We took her off all solid foods and slowly introduced them, seeing if it was a food allergy.  It didn't seem to be that.  During this time, Lyla also started having episodes where her lips and hands would turn blue/purple.  We were obviously concerned given her medical history, and contacted the cardiologists at CHOP.  Our next appointment wasn't scheduled until the end of February, but they were able to get us in fairly quickly to see them.  She had another echo done and thankfully everything looks the same!  They didn't seem to think that the discoloration was related to her heart.  They did mention that they will most likely do another MRI this summer to see where her arteries are at and see when the cath will be necessary.  Lyla then got her flu booster shot at the beginning of February and again, horrible eczema break out!  Thankfully, even though the doctor didn't seem to think it was an allergic reaction, she is sending us to the allergist.  Our appointment there is next Tuesday.

Overall, Lyla is doing amazing :-)  She started crawling within the past 2 weeks and won't stop!  She loves chasing the kitties :-)  Like I said earlier, we're still waiting for those top 2 teeth to come in...they look like they're right there!  They're just being super stubborn.  She's eating 3 meals a day of solid food now and loves it!  The only thing she hasn't really cared for is peas, but we'll try again soon :-)  There are lots of new foods we can introduce this month so I'm excited to see what she thinks!

Thank you all so much for your continued prayers!  I look at her every day and just praise God that He chose to extend His healing hand to our daughter to allow us this time with her.  She is such an incredible blessing!  And, a constant reminder of God's awesome hands.  I will definitely keep everyone updated...but probably not too frequently unless something comes up :-)  After all, chasing a mobile child takes up most of my time!

Hello!

Hello!  We have moved from CaringBridge, feeling that it has served its purpose :-)  We are excited that Lyla is doing so well and she is well past a crisis medical situation.  We will keep everyone posted through here, since so many people have shown love and interest in our family.  There are still hurdles to come, but we know that God is awesome and will provide all that we need!  I hope you enjoy following our journey as we trust God and continue to see what He will do in our family!