From Captain Hook & Peter Pan:

A little Halloween preview....

Please pray for our baby girl...

On Tuesday, I had an appointment with a Dr. in Dallas for a level 2 sonogram at the recommendation of my OBGYN.  At my previous appointment with her, she noticed an abnormal heartbeat while listening to the baby.  So, she thought, just to be on the safe side, I get a more in depth sonogram done.  She assured me that she didn't think it was anything serious but wanted to be cautious.  So, we went to our appointment, thinking that they are just going to confirm what the OBGYN heard, and that it wouldn't be a big deal.  Well, it turns out the heartbeat sounded normal, but when looking at the heart he noticed what he thought was a heart defect.  He couldn't give us a ton of information since that isn't his expertise, so he referred us to a pediatric cardiologist at Medical City and made us an appointment for today.
   
So today, I had a fetal echo done on the baby (a very fancy sonogram). The doctor found 3 areas of concern on the baby's heart. The first is a "moderate to large" hole on the inner wall that separates the left and right ventricles. (Called a ventricular septal defect or VSD). The other concerns are that the right ventricle looks to be “slightly smaller” than the left and a valve on the same side has a “moderate” leak. I won’t spell out all the potential ramifications, concerns, etc. but the bottom line (with all 3 concerns) is that they each have about a 50/50 chance of improving/worsening. The good news is that none of these issues are having an affect on the baby’s development in the womb. So praise God for that.

We go back to the same doctor to check the progress in one month. The hope is that all three areas have improved. If they are the same and/or worse, the baby will probably need serious care and or surgery after birth. We ask that you pray that the strength of her heart will improve, that hole will close up and the leak will stop.

Thanks for your prayers and I will keep you updated!

What the what?!

We are still in shock, with the news we recieved earlier today...

Yep, you read right.  It's a girl!  We couldn't be more excited!  Praise God for a perfect, healthy baby girl!

Yee-haw!

Today was Cowboy/Cowgirl Day at Preschool...

and I'm 18 weeks!

The BIG sonogram appointment is THIS coming Monday!!!  What do you think?  Boy or Girl?

Happy Fall!

Today, we celebrated the first day of fall with a trip to the Arboretum!

I {heart} fall!

It's Soup Season!

The temperatures are dropping {slowly}, which means it's time for soup season!  Seriously, one reason why I love fall is beacause I love the smell of a good soup simmering on the stove.  I've never shared a recipe before, but I want to share one of my favorite soups with you!  Why you ask?  Because I've been known as the "Soup Queen" to some people {okay maybe just one person}, since I love to make soups! 
Disclamer:  I  have gotten all of my favorite soup recipes from my mother, so maybe SHE is the "Soup Queen?

Shrimp Corn Chowder {Aaron's most-favorite soup ever}

1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic minced
1/4 c butter
3 c whole milk
8 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed
1 can of Rotel tomatoes and green chillies
2 cans of creamed corn
1 T dried basil
1T Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning  {this is spicy, so add more or less to whatever degree of spicyness you like}
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 1/2 lbs small shrimp, cooked, peeled, and deveined {you can find them in the frozen seafood section}

Saute bell pepper, onion, and garlic in butter until softened.  Add the rest of ingredients and simmer on medium for 30 minutes. 

Serve immediately.  Aaron and I like to sprinkle a little Tony's on top before eating.  This soup is delicious with corn bread!

Enjoy!