What we know...

We got some SHOCKING news today! Ethan came to us last night after using the restroom and said that something strange happened to his pee.  First it was yellow, then orange, then red.  Peyton and I didn't know what to do right then so we told him not to flush the toilet the next time he went.  He did go again and called Peyton in to look.  He came out and said that we needed to get him to the hospital.  Rather than hastily going to the ER, he got on the computer and did a little "research".  It was sounding like a urinary tract infection (UTI).  According to the internet, it's not life-threatening so we opted to make him an appointment for today.  Peyton took him in this morning and they asked for a urine sample, which Ethan gave and they determined it was definitely a UTI.  They also drew some blood.  Because of the amount of blood in his sample they sent him to Summerville Medical Center to have a renal ultrasound to check his kidney function.  On the way to that appointment Ethan threw up in the truck. So needless to say, had nothing in his system for an accurate ultrasound of his bladder.  They did however get a good look at his kidneys.  In fact, we found out today that he has only ONE kidney. His right, and it is enlarged, which is common for those with only one.  The hospital then sent him back to our primary care doctor where the girls and I met them to talk with the doctor about where to go from here.

What we know: It looks like only one enlarged kidney.  There is a possibility that he has the other but that it is not in the "right" spot.  As of now, they're saying just one though. 
His blood work came back that he has normal kidney function but is slightly anemic. 
He is on antibiotics for the UTI.
We have a follow-up urinalysis on Monday and they're sending the sample from today to run a culture.
We have an appointment with a urologist at MUSC on Wednesday.  After that appointment we'll definitely know more. 

Please pray that Ethan doesn't get worse and that the antibiotic does it's job and knocks out the infection.  He's only complaining of mild back pain and a queasy stomach.  He says it doesn't hurt to urinate, which is great!!

I had numerous ultrasounds while I was pregnant and apparently never drew suspicion of him missing a kidney.  Ethan was also hospitalized for 5 days when he was 5 weeks old and they never found anything then either.  While I'm glad that we found out, it's just still such new news that we can't do anything but pray that everything else is normal and that Ethan will lead a normal life with one functioning kidney. The doctor today said that we'll monitor him closely from this point out.

Simplify

Every year I read the blogs that say "pick a word for the year".  I've never really given it much thought until this year.  Those of you who know me, know that I hold on to everything that I've ever been given.  My own mother even told me that she thinks I'm a hoarder. I completely agree!! I've done a little psychology on myself and think that it stems from moving so often. It didn't matter where we were, I could still surround myself with familiar "things" even when I was surrounded by the unfamiliar.  It doesn't make it ok though. Peyton and I vowed together to simplify things in our house.  Simplify everything from the amount of toys the kids have, to dinner preparations, to our finances. I can't even begin to tell you the weight I feel I've lost just from the thought process.  It's almost like I'm living  in a computer simulated sense. I can walk into a room and see it as it will be once we  go through all of the drawers and cabinets and bins and closets.  My system needs a bit of tweaking, but with Peyton and the kids agreeing to be on this journey with me, I'm hoping to see some real progress by the end of January!! Please pray for me! I know that I will fight with myself about letting some things go, but I need to concentrate on the end product; a simplified, well balanced home. I'll try to post photos of my progress. Maybe not the before pictures(yikes), but definitely the during and after pictures!! The room I've chosen first is Riley and Caroline's. We're almost done with organizing the toys that they're keeping and have a nice donation bin started. I've rearranged their furniture and downsized from 2 twins to a daybed and mattress underneath. They now have so much room to play! Now to just keep telling myself to keep up the good work!