Week 35 Update

Well, to add insult to injury, our air conditioner conked out around 4pm on Saturday afternoon. So, I packed up Summer and the dogs and we went to mom and dad's house for a sleep-over. Chunk and Buddy were VERY excited to be around all of the carpet (good for back scratching), Merry (Amanda's dog) and all of her toys. Luckily, I was able to get it running again today, but I am still having the AC guy come out this week to do an inspection. I'm no math expert, but something tells me that wife + pregnancy + 3rd trimester - air conditioning = a bad time for dad.

Summer is slowly but surely starting to feel better. To expand on the aforementioned Bell's Palsy diagnosis, she actually has Ramsay-Hunt syndrome which, in layman's terms, is a strain of chicken-pox in the ear (not contagious) and causes the pain on that side of her face. The temporary paralysis to the right side of her face is caused by inflammation which damaged a nerve on the side of her face. Once the nerve grows back, and it will, she will regain movement. After doing some research, we found that the disease originates from the initial exposure to chicken-pox as a kid, then lays dormant. It's activated by a couple of factors, most notably viral infection (e.g. her ear infection from last week) and being in the late stages of pregnancy (the disease is VERY rare, but most of the people who have it are pregnant women in their 3rd trimester). Thankfully, it has no impact on the baby, but makes mom very uncomfortable. The chances for a full recovery are VERY GOOD, especially when treated right away (we had Summer at the doctor's office 1 hour after the right side of her face went numb). The result is the right side of her face is pretty tender to the touch. Thankfully, the pain has subsided to more of a nuisance as of this evening and she has even been able to start sleeping on her right-side again. She actually has been eating much better and sleeping a lot. We're going to talk to her doctor and work this week about getting her schedule reduced to a part time basis. Then we'll go week by week and see how she feels.

As for the baby, it's hard to believe that we'll be able to meet her in 6 weeks or less. That's right, I said 6, even though she is due in 5. Her doctor has previously told us that he will not let her go more than a week overdue. Today we had a great time in Old Navy shopping for some swimsuits for the little lady. I will say I am quite displeased at the lack of selection of one pieces (there were NONE) in stores these days. Here is a link to one of the suits we got:

Bikini #1

And, in breaking news, I think we have a name picked out!! Unfortunately for y'all, we won't be sharing it with anyone else until her birthday, so she will continue to be "the little lady" to you! About 2 months ago, I thought we had a first name picked out. Then, about 6 weeks ago, we switched to our current choice for the first name and have been focusing on a middle name ever since. Well, one of the only positive aspects of the AC going out is that Summer and I agreed on the name while at dinner at the Cotton Patch Cafe (that's right, it's classy!). I'm just happy to know she won't be leaving the hospital "Baby Keith"! Here is the link to this week's update

Week 35

Please continue to pray for a speedy recovery for Summer and continued good health for our baby. We love you all,