2008

What a roller coaster ride 2008 was!!

January found me graduating from my training at CPS. Aaron and I had seen our little peanut twice at this time and were already gearing up to meet the little one. Who could've known what highs and lows laid in front of us? We welcomed the new year with Chris and Susie. Susie and I sipping sparkling grape juice while the guys drank whisky and coke. We vowed that this New Year's Eve would be spent with the guys drinking sparkling grape juice and us girls drinking the whisky and cokes. New Year's Day was spent yelling for our Red Raiders as they won yet another bowl game.

February was rather uneventful, thankfully. I had entered the second trimester of my pregnancy and was loving every minute of it.

March on the other had was crazy. I had a bleeding scare that sent us to the emergency room. Thankfully our peanut was ok and we found out that we were having a Michael. How exciting!! I spent three days on bedrest letting my body rest. Little did we know that this was practice for what was to come. Aaron and I also had a blast going to the baby section at Target and picking out toys for Laura and Kurt's twins and Chris and Susie's baby. (We didn't know they were having a little girl yet.) At the end of the month, I felt Michael move for the first time. We were on our way home from Grandpa's and Michael decided that I had been in the car for way too long and started doing flip flops. It was the craziest feeling I think I'd ever experienced!!

April brought on the big 3-0 for me!! It was also the craziest month I ever experienced at CPS. I started to notice at the end of the month that I was starting to swell a little. Dr. Libson and I didn't think anything of it at the time. We also got to see a little more detailed sonogram of our precious little boy. What more could a girl want for her birthday!!

May was quite a month. It started out like any other month. We went to New Braunfels and spent some time with Aaron's parents and Robby. That's when I noticed the swelling getting really bad. We all chalked it up to my being on my feet too much plus the heat and humidity. Who knew that when I went in for my check up the next week what was I in for the next two months? I went in for my glucose tolerance test and was expecting the results to possibly come back abnormal. It's pretty common for women with PCOS to develop gestational diabetes. I had braced myself to hear that news. I wasn't expecting to hear what I did. That was the day I was told that I had what my doctor suspected was pre-eclampsia. Aaron and I spent that weekend back and forth to Odessa for both blood and urine tests on me. May also brought us three very special babies. May 11th, Mother's Day, brought Laura and Kurt's precious twins, Cooper and Addie. May 22nd brought us beautiful Amelia two months almost to the hour of when Michael would get here. Three women who were told that they may never have babies and now two of them have them to hold in their arms. One is still waiting patiently for a little while longer.

June 2nd is when we learned my fate for the duration of my pregnancy. I was put to bed that night. I spent many days praying and crying over my little angel. I worried over what would happen to us. Who knew that you could love someone so much that you had never met. June brought weekly blood tests, weekly urine tests, weekly non-stress tests, and weekly doctor visits. It also brought Aaron's 29th birthday that went by fairly unnoticed due to what was going on with the baby and I. I'll just have to make his 30th memorable.

July started the same way that June ended but ended up being the greatest of all the months of the year. We were still doing the testing. We were still going for weekly doctor visits. Aaron, bless his heart, was still going to work everyday to come home and take care of me and everything that you have to take care of in a household. Stephanie came to see us and helped me out with a few things around the house. More than anything it was just nice to have someone to talk to during the day. July 21st I was admitted to the hospital after some close calls with my blood pressure. On July 22nd at 9:32 p.m. we were blessed with Michael James Brad Pier my little angel. He was perfect!! He gave everyone, but his momma who was drugged, quite a scare that first night. Thankfully everything was ok and has been ever since.

August brought Aaron and my 3rd anniversary with a two week old at home. My mom was gracious enough to come keep Michael so that we could go have an adults only dinner. Of course we culdn't stay gone long. We both had to get home to our baby boy. It's still crazy to me that 3 years ago when we got married that we never dreamed of what would be happening 3 years from that day.

September started the roller coaster that was Red Raider football. Whew!! It was quite a ride. Michael made his first trip to Tech on Alumni Day. Michael had his first well baby visit where we learned that he was small for his age but developmentally on target. He got his first set of shots which was probably harder on me than him. Michael and I also started at the Children's Day Out at church. I'm still glad to have that as an outlet two days a week and have met some amazing women there.

October started out normally and ended crazy. Michael started sleeping through the night. He made his first trip to Gun Barrell City to meet his Grandpa and Aunt Steph. He did great on that trip!! October 27 brought me the Emergency Room again. October 29 I became one more organ short. I had to have my gallbladder out. Thankfully I was out in time to dress Michael for his first Halloween and take him Trick 'R' Treating briefly.

November 1st...what can you say about that day but 39-33!! We beat #1 UT!! I was so angry that I had to miss that game due to my surgery earlier in the week. I spent the first week with my parents in Brownfield since I couldn't take care of Michael by myself. Thankfully a week after my surgery I got permission to go back to work and pick up Michael. Michael had his second well baby visit where we found out that he was still on the small side but growing like a champ. He once again got shots and once again I think I took it harder than he did. Michael celebrated his first Thanksgiving in Brownfield. He got to see his Aunt Ashli again and finally got to meet his Uncle Paul. It was great to see them!! I miss them so much and wish that we could spend more time together. November ended quite harshly with Tech losing to OU and placing the Big 12 South in a 3-way tie. I don't think I've ever yelled so loudly for OSU to beat OU. Needless to say, the BCS picked OU over Tech and UT to go to the National Championship. You better believe I'll be the biggest Florida fan you've ever seen for that game.

December started out rather calmly. Aaron and I picked out Michael's First Christmas ornament. Who knew he'd get 4 others?! We decorated our tree. Michael still stares at the lights in amazement. Aaron and I got ready to spend our 6th Christmas together. (Can you believe it?) We also planned our baby boy's first Christmas. In the middle of all this planning, on December 9th, we were blessed with our very first nephew, Levi Randal (sorry Steph if I miss spelled it). He was perfect too!! Mom and baby are still doing well. Steph and Jarrod have adjusted really well to being new parents. That same day Michael and I were exposed to RSV for the first time. I panicked!! I knew what that meant with my baby being a premie and having had some small breathing problems at birth. Aaron and I watched patiently for the incubation period to pass. Michael did start running a low grade fever and showed a few other symptoms during that period so off to the pediatrician we went. It was just a cold I was told. So on with our lives we went. The incubation period came and went. Then we were exposed for a second time by the same child. The very next day Michael started coughing and running fever. We went back to the pediatrician only to find out that we have RSV. All of our well laid plans had come completely derailed. We began breathing treatments every 6 hours. I don't ever remember being so scared and worried in my life. I did nothing but cry for two or three days. Michael had his first trip to the ER with a fever of 102.7 and signs of respiratory distress. Thankfully they sent us home. Michael has since pretty well recovered, but in the meantime I caught it. I went to the doctor yesterday because of MAJOR ear pain. I was afraid that my ear drum was about to burst. I found out that I have a double ear infection, one of my ear drums did burst, a sinus infection, and an upper respiratory infection. It all goes back to the RSV.

So as 2008 ends with Michael still getting breathing treatments every 6 hours and me being sick, we look forward to 2009. I can hardly wait to see what all it holds. The Moore clan is getting two new babies right off. Tiff's baby will be here January 28th and Eryn will have Spencer sometime around the first of February. Michael's first birthday will be here before we know it. It's unbelievable to me what all he'll learn in 2009 and how much he'll grow up!! So here's to 2008!! What a wonderful roller coater ride it was!!