Just another clown in the circus!
Took us 20 min, but everyone is in the car!
The past week has been so chaotic, I’m honestly considering adding “professional crisis manager” to my résumé. Between kids and home, I’ve basically been running on prayer and desperate optimism. I’m still not quite sure where I sat my cup of tea.
It will turn up eventually… I hope.
Tuesday had us at the Occupational Therapist for a follow up after being in the NICU. It didn’t take too long, but here is a tidbit of information about going anywhere with twins… if you try shaving a cat with a dollar store, single blade razor then you kind of understand the level of preparation you would need to complete the task. Same thing basically. Then we had our first actual outing as a family on Wednesday, that then led to today. Today was a challenge. A true test of the strength of my blood pressure meds. Nifedipine be blessed!
Yeah, I thought this wasn’t obvious that I was breastfeeding….In a very public waiting room while waiting for the EKG.
My Izzy has what is called a hemangioma.
It is basically a little cluster of extra blood vessels that group together and create a deep red spot that grows larger before shrinking and disappearing. They’re super common in babies and are often called “strawberry birth marks.” The good news is most of them fade away on their own over time and don’t cause any problems. The bad news is that hers is in her mouth, right inside her lip. In Izzy’s case, the growth is now spreading to her nasal area. Being 2 months old means it could be very dangerous.
When all of this first started, we were fully living in that “Is this normal or should I be panicking?” stage of parenting — which, if we’re honest, is most stages of parenting. Things felt overwhelming fast, and the thought of delays in her care (and the possibility of it spreading) was not something I thought I would handle with calm, graceful composure. But I surprised myself and waited till I got home to cry in the shower. It is the best place to have a small melt down every now and then.
I was definitely missing that cup of tea…
Thankfully, we met some amazing new people that helped us with a specialist, and I truly believe God had His hand in that timing, because without that connection we could have been waiting a lot longer for answers.
Now that she’s seeing the specialist, there’s a clear plan in place. She’ll be starting a blood pressure medication that will help slow the progression and gradually shrink it over time. It’s not an overnight fix — we’re looking at about a year — but the biggest relief is knowing she’s expected to have no long-term issues. So while this wasn’t exactly the parenting plot twist I ordered, we’re incredibly grateful it’s manageable, treatable, and something she won’t carry with her long term.
So to sum it all up, here’s the thing about motherhood…
One minute you’re looking for your tea, and the next you’re researching vascular growths while praising Jesus for modern medicine. It’s really is chaos and grace all tangled up together. We didn’t ask for this tightrope, but we’re walking it anyway — armed with faith, a treatment plan, and just enough caffeine to keep the wheels on.
And if nothing else, I’m learning this: I may am a crisis-managing, prayer-whispering, shower-crying warrior mom…. even if it doesn’t feel like it!
Poor Izzy looks like she went a few rounds with Muhammed Ali.
