first stop.. Colorado..

Baby Ellie and I made it to Colorado on Wednesday the 21st. She is doing really well, she takes formula great and I have a nice supply of mommy milk for her as well. My sisters love her and take really good care of her so that gives me much comfort.

Earlier this month I began to have severe, stabbing pain all through out my rib cage and back. It would last for hours and no pain medicine would relieve it. I finally called my mom and explained the pain to her and she said, "that sounds exactly like what I had when I had gallstones" So I went to my doc and sure enough, I now have gallstones. The surgeon at the Mayo Clinic said he would be happy to take my gallbladder out the same time as the surgery to remove my insulinoma. However, he said my gallbladder ultrasound and blood tests confirm that there is inflammation on my abdomen so he recommends I wait 6 weeks so that it can subside. I was devastated with that news, living with the pain and low blood sugar for another 6 weeks???! no!!!! I called the surgeon right up and told him that it would be very difficult to do this, so he had me get another ultrasound and blood test and discovered that the inflammation had gone down some and that we could continue with the scheduled surgeries on the 28th as long as the tests that they preform at Mayo continue to look good. Cross your fingers! I haven't had any pain for over a week now so that's a great sign!

My husband flew out here to CO last night for an internship interveiw today and also to see baby Ella and I before I head to Mayo. It is good to be with him again, I love him soooo much. He gave baby ella and I a blessing and it really gave me peace and comfort. I feel more confident that things will go well for me and that my baby will be well taken care of. Thanks my Josh!!

The surgery is scheduled

I contacted the Mayo Clinic this week to see when we should schedule the surgery to have my Insulinoma removed, My doctor said that the surgeon is only avaialble on Oct 28th or Dec 2nd. So I opted for Oct 28th. My mom is going to come with me to the Clinic and I'm going to leave baby Ella with my Sisters in Colorado. We decided it would not be good to bring her to the clinic where she could catch all kinds of germs. It's going to be hard on both of us but I know that she will be well taken care of. I have started a supply of my milk for her while I'm gone and she takes it from a bottle very well. We are also going to start her on formula just in case my milk supply runs out. Josh is right in the middle of the semester so he is going to stay behind and continue school and work. That is going to be VERY tough! But we decided it will be the best way. So I will be leaving for Colorado (my families' house) on the 21st of Oct. with baby Ella so I can teach my sisters how to take care of her. Then mom and I will leave for the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota on the 26th. I will have a CT Scan and consult with the surgeon on the 27th and then surgery on the 28th. I am very nervous and scared as I have never had a surgery before. Please pray for my little family and me these next coming weeks as they will be difficult.

Life as a mom... with low blood sugar!

So being a mom is pretty much the best! It's everything I dreamed it would be. My favorite thing about Ella is right after she is done nursing, she has mommy milk dripping down her chin and she's completely blissful. I call her my milk drunkin' baby!! It tickles me everytime, I never tire of it!!! She is two weeks old yesterday. I love her more and more everyday and I'm so grateful to have her. Josh is so cute with her, When he comes home from School/Work all he wants to do is hold her and kiss her. It heart them!

My blood sugars have become progressively worse this past week. I notice that I need food more and more during the night especially. Last night Ella slept for about 3 hrs straight and when I woke up to get her I could barely stand up because I was so weak, dizzy and sweating. I leave a cup of juice on my night stand for such occasions and in just moments it gives me the strength to get to the kitchen for something more substantial. I know most people think it's an easy thing to deal with... how hard can it be to eat frequently? Let me tell you, it isn't easy and I find myself emotionally drained sometimes but I try to be brave and strong. I try to remember that Heavenly Father hasn't given me more than I can handle and he loves me.

I am beginning to have severe pain in my rib cage area that my mom believes is gall stones. She and my oldest sister had to have their gall bladders removed right after giving birth to their first babies. It looks like I'm no exception to this.

I have tried to post pictures but my internet must be too slow because they never upload. So please check my facebook page for the most recent pictures of my new little family!

Thanks and much love to you all!