It's a boy!

Today I had a regular check-up with my dr that was scheduled several weeks ago.  I knew I was going to have an ultrasound and that we might find out the sex of the baby.  The dr didn't know that we already had a hunch, so I kept it to myself.  I wanted to see if dr leon would give us the same answer that the ultrasound tech gave us in the hospital on friday night.  Confirmed!  We are so excited to have a new adventure with this baby boy.  Hmmm, will he pee on me when I change his diaper?  

Update on the accident

I realized some things were not clear in my last post.  To clarify:

1) My mom was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon as planned.  She is now home in Aliso Viejo getting plenty of rest.

2) The drunk driver was a female, about 30 yrs of age, and she was arrested on the spot and taken into custody.  I will know more about her and, more importantly, her insurance information tomorrow when we can call CHP for the full report.

Also, we took elvis to the vet today because Trav saw a lot of blood in his stool.  The vet thinks that this was caused by the huge amount of stress and anxiety combined with dehydration.  They gave him a subcutaneous fluid injection, bandaged his feet, and sent him home with lots of meds.  Here are some pics of the little guy's new shoes.  Even though it looks like it would bug him, he is actually able to walk much more comfortably in his little booties.  I think he looks great!

A rough 24 hours

We were in a terrible car accident yesterday evening when a drunk driver hit the back end of our van as we were heading north on the 5 freeway after a day at the boat with my dad.  I was driving, with my mom sitting shotgun, lyla in her car seat behind me, and elvis loose in the seat next to her.  After the impact from the Mustang hitting us on the back driver's side corner, we immediately started spinning and I lost control of the car.  We were going about 65 mph at the time.  We careened into the center median on the 5N just north of the 15 freeway exit.  We hit the median head on.  The airbags deployed, saving my life and my mom's.  I remember thinking that I was facing death as we span.  It was horrifying and I am still shuddering when I picture the scene in my mind.  It is as fresh as if it just happened.  The drunk driver in the Mustang hit us one more time and caused us to spin around so that our van ended up facing the right direction just next to the median divider.  I saw elvis fly forward, hit the dashboard, and fall against my mom's seat and the floorboard.  It was a sickening sight for sure.  

When the crashing noise stopped and we realized that the cars around us had either stopped or slowed considerably, the first thought that came to my head was to get everyone out of the car.  I looked back to see that lyla was crying hysterically, but looked uninjured.  I looked at my mom and she looked like she was in a lot of pain and scared to death.  The smoke, the pungent smell of the gas from the airbags, and the fluid leaking everywhere made me worry about a potential vehicle fire.  I opened my door and, to my horror, elvis jumped out and ran past me.  He took off straight up the freeway and crossed in front of traffic.  I immediately started to sprint after him, but stopped short when I realized my baby and mother were still in the car and I wasn't sure of their condition.  I was also stopped by a man coming toward me who told me to stay where I was.  I stopped in my tracks and started hyperventilating.  I didn't know what to do.  I screamed at someone to chase after my dog.  

My mom had gotten lyla out of her car seat by this time and was taking her out of the car.  I ran to them and looked lyla over quickly while trying to calm my mother who was hysterical at this point.  She was so overcome with worry about elvis.  She also had a lot of trouble breathing.  A man asked us to go wait in his car with his wife while we waited for CHP and paramedics to arrive.  At this point I was attempting to retrieve our cell phones to contact Travis and my dad.  The CHP arrived and my mom was taken in the first ambulance due to her difficulty in breathing.  Lyla and I took the second ambulance to Scripps Mercy hospital in Hillcrest.  

At the hospital, I found that my mom was doing alright and that she was getting some tests done.  I thanked God that she was ok.  The plan was that she should be released the next day around noon.  I was checked for possible trauma to the 15 week old baby in my belly.  The ultrasound showed that a) the baby was moving and grooving with a solid heartbeat, and b) we are going to have a boy.  This fantastic news was only spoiled by the haunting thought that elvis was still out somewhere off the freeway and nowhere to be found.

My dad, and some other wonderful people, had been searching for elvis since shortly after the accident.  No luck.  I was released from the hospital after midnight and we immediately headed back to the scene to look for him.  Again, the search seemed futile and dangerous.  I texted Trisha to let her know what happened and she called to let me know she was driving down from SF to be here with us.  We returned home with heavy hearts to an empty apartment.  There was no elvis there to greet us warmly as usual.  We went to sleep knowing that my dad would be out searching for elvis again at daybreak and Trisha would be arriving in the early am to help.  

The next morning I began a search online for dogs turned into the local shelters in SD.  I found a dog that looked exactly like elvis, but upon visiting the shelter my dad gave me the disappointing news that it was not him.  We again returned to the scene of the accident to search for elvis on the side of the freeway and nearby neighborhoods.  Nothing.  We decided to head over to Mercy to see my mom as she was supposed to be released soon.  She was looking good but having a ton of chest pain.  The fact that elvis was still missing weighed heavier on her heart than anything.  After a reviving lunch, we went back for another search.  We spent several hours driving around, trekking through swampy nastiness, and whistling and calling out his name.  Then Travis called me and said the three sweetest words I've ever heard, "Somebody has him".  We sped over to the address and claimed a shaken and injured elvis.  He had joined a grieving family at a cemetery where they were attending a funeral for a small child.  They took care of him and called the number on his tag, Trav's cell phone number.  Elvis is exhausted, limping, and has badly injured paws, but he is back home with us now safe and sound.  He had been away from us for about 20 hours on his own, far from home, after enduring a terrifying experience.  

We feel so completely blessed to have made it out of this horrendous experience with only bumps, scratches, and bruises.  God worked miracles today.  For those of you who were praying, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  

Getting nervous...

We are impatiently awaiting the news that our 1st loan has released funds to escrow. This is the last thing that needs to be done before the documents can be recorded by Riverside county. As it is now after 5pm on Thursday, the best case scenario would be that they fund early enough tomorrow morning that the county can do a special recording. We are praying earnestly and with knots in our stomachs that everything will work out. Our lender is telling us that we are just waiting on an investor to give the thumbs up to send everything over. We are waiting on one person, one investor, who doesn't know (and according to our lender wouldn't care) about our deadline to close tomorrow. Please keep us in your prayers that this will all work out! "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him" Romans 8:28

let's go padres!

Lyla's first Padres game!
Padres vs. Baltimore Orioles.  Padres won 3 to 2...but we left in the 7th inning so they were actually tied 1-1 when we left.  
Lyla calls it "base-a-ball"

We signed docs!

Trav and I sat down with a notary today at our dining room table to sign official documents for the purchase of our new home!  We have been anxiously anticipating this appointment for a long time.  Now the documents are on their merry way to Riverside, Corona, Newport Beach, and wherever else they need to go.  Once they are looked over for accuracy and recorded by the county of Riverside, the house is ours!  We should get keys next week!  

Mission Bay and Sea World

Enjoying the water in Mission Bay with grandpa.
Lyla gets up close to the rays.  
Lyla loves Shamu!  My parents have annual passes for Sea World, so Lyla gets to see Shamu almost every week.  Every night when I ask her what she did that day, she responds with "Boat.  Shamu.  Fun".  I don't know any other kid who gets to spend her days either on a boat, at Sea World, the beach, the pool, or the park.  She is a very busy and very lucky girl.  

love you, ma'am.

We went to a little greek food restaurant for dinner tonight that is right around the corner from our apartment.  Can't believe we've never tried it before!  It's a little on the pricey side, but the nice greek lady who served us made the experience worthwhile.  Lyla has been really into telling people that she loves them lately.  It's adorable and heart-melting.  But the cutest thing was when the waitress (I wish I knew her name!) came over with some water for Lyla and she responded with, "Thank you, ma'am.  Love you ma'am".  Travis and I just started busting up laughing.

13 weeks

At almost 3 inches long and the size of a medium shrimp, the baby weighs nearly an ounce, but I've gained nearly 10 pounds.  How is this possible?  I'm hungry ALL THE TIME.

Friday night with Samantha

Lyla is such a little lover!  She gave Sam kisses all night.
Splish-splash.  Sam was having a blast splashing around in the tub.  Lyla was not having as much fun with the splashing.
After the splashing stopped, Lyla forgave Sam and they kissed and made up.

Rose Elyse Mitchell

Born on June 5 at 12:13am at 7 lbs and 15 ozs.  She is daughter #3 for Nick and Sarah Mitchell.  Here she is at only 2 days old!

12 weeks

Baby #2 is looking good!  Trav got to see the baby on the ultrasound for the first time today.  This baby was moving and bouncing all over the place!  The dr says that he/she is just the right size for 12 weeks and has a good heart beat.  We just might be able to find out the sex at my next 15 week appointment.  So excited!!!  

Despite my terrible reaction to seasonal allergies the last few days, I have been feeling great.  The dr says that I can take benadryl or claritin.  I have never had such a reaction to grass pollen or whatever the heck is in the air right now!  I am actually scared to go outside because I am afraid it will get worse.  Kind of sucks when the weather is so nice out.  The nausea has pretty much passed and I can (and do) eat anything I want.  I have already gained 7 pounds since my first dr's appointment!

despite the June gloom

Lyla and daddy had a beach day!  She really just needed a chance to show off her new swimsuit from Target.  Even though we are experiencing June gloom in full effect, the weather was actually quite nice today.  They got to build sand castles and splash around in the water.  Weeeee!

Jamroc

Went to one of our favorite Encinitas restaurants on memorial day with trisha.  Jamroc is a fun Jamaican food place right on PCH and Encinitas Blvd.  The patio area is so festive and colorful.  We thought it would be a chill place to hang out for the last few hours of trisha's weekend visit with us.  The jerk pork plate with plantains and festival is delicious!!!

10 days until we get our house???

Sometime within the next 10 days, we will be signing paperwork with a notary for our new house!  The close date was supposed to be May 11, then May 28, and now it is looking like June 11 might be a reasonable date.  We are anxiously awaiting news from our agent letting us know the final good news!

Obviously, I will keep you posted.