Well...just don't ask if the shunt is still in! Dr Gomez decided to go ahead and drain your abdomen yesterday when we were there for a follow up from the previous Monday's 4th try. We are going to do this for a few weeks to get both of us on the road to recovery for awhile. Maybe after having a little discomfort of a weeks worth of fluid accumulation, you'll be more inclined to leave the 5th shunt in place for at least a couple of weeks! Probably not... Anyway, my veins are very happy with the fluid taps and amnio infusions...the IV's are wreaking havoc on my hands and they are just sore.

Still after all of this...I can't help but fall in love with you even more. You are so spirited and feisty. And with so many ultrasounds, I just smile seeing your little face so often. You look a lot like your brother did. I can't help but imagine how you will look once you are here. What your hair color and eye color will be. Your brother's coloring favors me, will your's favor your daddy's? Hopefully, you won't be as pale as him though!

We've been looking into cribs and nursery decor for you. We are going to go with a farm theme. Your great-Nanny gave your daddy some figurines of a little boy with farm animals in his nursery...now they will go in yours! Something you can pass down to your sons in the future....but not until after college right!

Love you son. Stay active and happy. Kisses.

Well little man...here we go again. Back up to Northside in just a couple of hours for our 4th surgery!!! Yep, you keep pulling them suckers out and we have to keep getting poked and prodded because of it. I'm slowly becoming less amused, but when all is said and done...you can't help but laugh. You are so strong, even the doctors continuously remard about you. We are the talk to the hospital...everyone knows us there. I would rather not be known for this reason, but at least it feels like a family now. People recognize us and call me by name now.

Despite it all, we know how blessed we are to have you doing so well. We are lucky to be able to see you every week and have the medical intervention needed to keep you comfortable and growing. Even though this "intervention" puts mommy in lots of pain...which you will hear about time and time again when you are a teenager!

Well, I need to go eat lunch real quick and pack my overnight bag. You can tell you are spending too much time in the hospital when you are starting to sleep well in there! Ha! I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep tonight....aren't you little man?!?

Well, well little guy. It seems you just have to be in the spotlight don't ya! (I don't blame you...it's the Leo in you!) We put a shunt in twice already. The first time, it slipped back into your abdomen, but remained where it needed to be for your bladder to drain. Unfortunately, it was then draining into your abdominal cavity...which as you probably know...isn't where it needs to go. So, this past Monday we put in another one so the fluid could drain from your abdomen into the amniotic sac. On our follow up appointment, the surgeon couldn't find it anywhere near where he had originally placed it. He was about to give up when you finally decided to move over and we saw the catheter tube laying on the bottom of my uterus with your tiny hiney sitting on it! You pulled it out of your stomach!! Being difficult already I see!! So...we are hoping third times the charm with this procedure, but at least with three of these...we are now one for the medical journals!

This is not quite how I wanted to leave a lasting impression on the world of science, but as long as the last sentence in the article says a healthy baby boy was born...then I'll be stoked!

See ya on Tuesday for our surgery consult little man. We got GREAT pictures from the last ultrasound...even one of you sucking your little thumb. Can't wait to see more!

Yay for little Matthew!! You did SO well on Monday! You now have lots of amniotic fluid to swim in, and I am feeling you move around (with the help of that chocolate chip cookie I just ate) right this minute. It just makes me smile now. I finally look pregnant again too. I had lost my baby belly with the decrease in fluid...but it's BACK!!!

I can't wait to see you again on Tuesday. These frequent trips to Atlanta are not easy on the wallet with gas prices, but I don't care at all when I see your little happy self just dancing like you were at the ultrasound this past Tuesday. What a happy and strong little boy you are. Such a fighter!!

We are starting to plan out our Easter with family. Daddy's side on Saturday and mommy's side on Sunday. Our Easter miracle will be even more complete with you doing so well. The Easter bunny has come early this year!  Our prayers for your health will be ongoing. Lots of love Matthew!