Where to Begin?

First off, I owe Hannah an apology. Yesterday was her 2 month birthday but our internet was down all day! Very frustrating, I must say. She is getting so big.

Here are a few things she's been doing: She is finally starting to crack a few grins for us ~ She is staring to like to lay on her activity mat and kick her legs ~ She really still hates tummy time but is getting strong enough that she can scoot around a little bit when she's mad enough ~ She's gaining control of her head and can hold it steady for a while ~ She is following things around the room with her eyes ~ She can find me when she hears my voice ~ She is getting her nights and days straight (praise the LORD!) ~ AND, she has had several nights of only waking up once to eat and then going right back to sleep!! (more praise!)

Well, there are a lot of things on my heart to write about right now and there's no way I could fit them into one post. So, I'm gonna hit you with the punch lines and that which is lying on me the heaviest and save the rest for the coming days.

Ok, here's the punch line- Kevin has been comissioned as an officer with the US Army and we are moving to Ft Campbell, KY in in 4 days! For those of you who don't know, Kevin enlisted with the Army prior to graduating from high school and served four years on active duty, including 2 deployments overseas after 9/11. He then served 3 years with the National Guard while in college and has been separated completely from the military the last few years. There are a lot of details surrounding our decision for Kevin to join the military; that will have to wait for another post.

I also want to post in the coming week(s) about our awesome church and friends that we are leaving behind, my amazing job that I have had the last 4.5 years that I am absolutely heartbroken to no longer have, our crazy apartment that we are sooooo happy to say goodbye to (If we were staying any longer I might have to kill our neighbors!), Dave and Cort's recent visit and their very special gift for our girls, and so much more! (Apparently I have been really slacking on the blogging- You would think that with me being at home on maternity leave I would have more time for these sort of things)

Anyway, most heavily weighing on Kevin and I's mind this week is our dear Hannah. This last week we took the girls in for their well child checks. We take them to a pediatric nurse practitioner that I work with and just adore. Upon doing Hannah's physical exam, she noticed bilateral hip clicks. Since we were moving the next week she wanted us to take her for an ultrasound, just to be safe, and rule out hip dysplasia. We had Hannah's ultrasound this past Friday morning. A radiologist performed the exam and we have the final report but we are unsure what to make of the findings or if hip dysplasia has been ruled out.

The very very good thing is that Hannah's hips are not dislocating, even upon purposeful manipulation. The ultrasound did show, however, that both sockets are shalow to an extent that only about 50% of the femoral heads are covered. Also, the angles at which the femors enter the socket are off. There are some other findings also that I don't understand. The nurse practitioner and the doctor she works with don't have much experience with this and normally would refer Hannah to a pediatric orthopedist. But, since we are moving we are now going to be transfering into the hands of Tricare and the military's health system. Our understanding is that Kevin will enroll us (Me and the girls) as his dependents as soon as he gets on base but that it may take up to one month for us to get in the system. At that time, we will be assigned a PCP. From that point I can make an appointment for Hannah, and hopfully get a referral to a specialist.

It just pains us to think about having to potentially wait 1-2 months or longer in limbo of being unsure if there is something wrong with our baby, if she needs treatment or braces, etc. We are praying that the findings are "no big deal" and that she will not need any intervention at all. But, if she does, the sooner the better, for her sake. We appreciate your prayers and support as we wait and see how this process goes. This is a whole new lifestyle for me and will be a learning experience and although Kevin was in the Army before, he never dealt with dependent benefits. I will keep y'all posted (I'm practicing my Tennessee lingo) Until we blog again....Love Kev, Mandy, Emma and Hannah

PS. Isn't this the cutest stinking picture you've ever seen?!?