2 Months and Counting

I have just under two months left in this pregnancy. I've been nesting by tackling clutter in the house to make room for the baby while also making the house more comfortable in general. We recently sorted through our extensive DVD collection & sold them to Amazon.com. Not only did it get rid of about five boxes of stored DVDs, but it also put baby money in our pockets. Jeff is dreading doing the same with video games, but I hope I'll be able to talk him into it sooner than later.

We had our 32-week ultrasound today. When I was pregnant with Harper, Jeff never had to miss a single appointment - he went to every one. Now that we have to juggle more than just our own schedules, Jeff has only been able to go to three appointments this time, even though I've been going every two weeks. I thought this week would be a good opportunity for him to meet our new nurses, midwife, and doctor. Plus, it was an ultrasound appointment, so that's always a bonus. I'm so grateful to Jeff's sister Emily for always being so willing to watch Harper. I'm also grateful that Harper is being less of a stink about going over there, too. He can be so antisocial sometimes.

The scan photos look a little better in person, but you should be able to make out the face profile using the labels below. It looks like we'll have another Filipino-nosed baby in the family. No substantial news to report on the growth front. The long bones have still not progressed much. They've taken a month to grow what you would typically see take two weeks for a baby without this condition. They're measuring about 22-23 weeks, though the baby is 32-weeks. Everything else seems on track, which is the best possible news we could hope for.

While we were watching the scan, the baby poked out his/her tongue at us. We also saw that the baby has some pretty chubby looking legs, so that is something to look forward to. Don't you just love chubby little baby legs? It looks like this baby will have extra chubby, extra little legs. :)

28 Weeks

At 28 weeks, I'm now in my third trimester. And whoa boy is it starting to feel like it. Though I've gained less weight than last time (can I get a woot woot) & my belly is smaller, I am starting to feel BIG. I had a doctor appointment and ultrasound this morning. I won't be posting any pictures this time because the baby just wasn't cooperating. They pictures I brought home are mostly shapeless black and white blotches. The most exciting news is that I passed my 1-hour glucose test with flying colors. When I was pregnant with Harper, my 1-hour test came back as "borderline", though my fasting 4-hour test was normal. This time my levels were great. What a relief... it's just one less thing for us to worry about, and we'll take everything we can get.

However, the ultrasound showed that the baby's long bones (femurs & humeruses) were proportionately smaller to the rest of the body than they were during the 24-week ultrasound. My doctor said it was nothing to get worried about, but was something they would be monitoring. It also looks like the vertebrae are shortened and possibly flattened, but that's to be expected with this condition. The good news is that the bones are growing straight (no curves), and the chest and abdomen appear to be growing relatively propotionate so far, which is important for organ development.

Baby actual: 28 weeks
Head: 29 weeks (no surprise... we are a big-headed family!)
Abdomen: 26-27 weeks
Long Bones: 19-20 weeks
Estimated weight: 1lb 4oz +/-4oz (average at this age would be 2.2 lbs)

The numbers speak for themselves. The stress and worries are definitely up a notch, but I am still so excited for this baby. I suppose life isn't supposed to be easy, right?

And because he always seems to know when I can use a little extra sunshine, Jeff surprised me with the loveliest bouquet of flowers. It was a sweet early Mother's Day gift accompanied by a very thoughtful card. Sorry, I don't think your model of computer screen comes with scratch n sniff. You'll have to take my word that they smell wonderful.

Finding Peace

When I first met Jeff, I knew that I had finally found peace in my life. As a child I was sensitive and melodramatic. As a young adult I was high-strung. I liked to think of myself as mellow, but when I truly look back, I know that "mellow" was pretty far off. The truth was, I felt anxious all the time, and about everything. That changed when I met Jeff. I immediately knew that he would be in my life forever. As we fell in love, I found wave of peace washing over all of those anxious bits within me. He brought out a calm side of me that I never knew was there.

When I was pregnant with Harper, Jeff and I were worried about birth defects. Okay, okay - ALL parents worry about birth defects. But every time someone would brush off my concerns as typical or trivial, I wanted to smack them (figuratively, not literally of course). The fact of the matter is that our concerns are not typical. Jeff was born with an extremely rare skeletal dysplasia, so each of our pregnancies presents a 50% chance that the baby will have it too. Jeff has had unique challenges in life that few people are likely to comprehend - especially considering his condition has one in a million occurrence. So mister or misses health care professional, please excuse me if I don't appreciate having my concerns brushed off as if they are unfounded.

Though we worried about Harper (who was not affected), my worries felt different early on during this second pregnancy. I can't quite explain it, but something within me knew that this baby was affected. Four weeks ago, we were told during our first ultrasound that the baby did indeed have growth anomalies that coincide with spondylometaphyseal dysplasia (can't pronounce it? Either Jeff's mom Carol or I can pronounce it for you... she especially knows it well). Though there is no exact prenatal test for Jeff's type of dysplasia, it's quite apparent that the baby has it. Of course our initial reaction was mostly sadness. And if you catch me during a hormonal moment, you might see tears in my eyes. But honestly, the longer it sits in my heart, the more I become okay with it.

For those of you readers lucky enough to know my husband Jeff, you know how incredible he is. This is not just coming from his wife and best friend. Ask anyone - his grandparents, parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, and all of the people that have really known him. He is everyone's favorite, and for good reason. He's funny, inspirational, modest, and just so dang selfless. If anyone ever had a good reason to complain, it would be Jeff... but he doesn't complain at all. One would never know what he's endured. He is my heart, and I love him so much. I can't ever imagine spending my life with anyone else, and could NEVER have asked for a better father to my children.

So it is with Jeff that I am finding peace in this situation. It seems that so few people have marriages as true and strong as ours, and we'll need every bit of that strength to get through what lies ahead. I'm also finding peace as I imagine holding this sweet little baby in my arms, feeling my heart stretch as it makes more room for the love already growing for him/her. The road ahead will not be easy. But I couldn't be any luckier than to have an amazing husband and family to lean on throughout everything. So from me, Jeff, Harper, and the baby, a big thank you to Mom, Dad, Tyra, Anthony, Greg, Mario, Carol, Mark, Shelly, Scott, Tracy, Emily, Ryan, Kelli, Jared, and all the rest of our family.

And here is a profile image our little wiggly peanut at 24-weeks, saying hello. I really love the new team of people providing us with amazing care, including my new doctor who not only has a background in genetics, but just happens to have special interest in skeletal dysplasias. Just check out her U of U faculty profile - impressive, right? We'll probably have a new picture just like this at least once month to share, up until the baby is here in about 16 more weeks!

Peanut Update and Sleeping Woes

Other bloggers probably know that sometimes it's difficult to blog when there is something significant that he/she isn't ready to talk about publicly. My doctor (who has been fantastic) is switching my care to a Perinatologist, which is essentially an Obstetrician that specializes in High Risk/Maternal-Fetal Medicine. This will be my third doctor during this pregnancy, and I'm only 22 weeks along. Hopefully it will be the last switch. Why am I going to a specialist? Well, that's a blog entry for another day. I'm still not quite ready to share the details with the world, but that day will likely come. Ultimately, we're all going to be okay, so please don't worry too much. My belly is growing, the baby is moving, and my second trimester has been mostly good to me.

This picture is from our first ultrasound at 20-weeks. The little peanut wasn't really cooperating for pictures, so hopefully we'll get a good profile shot when we have another ultrasound in a couple of weeks. Hopefully my labels help you see something other than a Rorschach test.

One of the more exhausting issues lately is Harper's current (non)sleeping habits. He has been typically waking between 5 and 6 am. When it comes to bedtime at 8pm, he resists with every bit of energy he can find. This leads to not falling asleep until between 9 and 1030pm. I'm sure it's just a phase, but we've all been awfully tired for the past month or so. I'm just thankful that he's still (mostly) taking afternoon naps. And at least this leads to fun photo ops. I only wish I could have gotten a picture of his little bum in the air when he fell asleep just inside of his closed door. We had to completely wake him to get inside. Below is just a sample of the different places he's been falling asleep out of total exhaustion.

A very early morning snooze

A statement of protest

Couldn't stay awake, even at 8am

Harper: sleeping on me

Me: plotting a smooth escape

Asleep at the top of the stairs

Finally tuckered out in a tight corner of his bedroom

The little dude really wanted to remain part of the evening activities

Snoozing on the couch for a nap

My favorite: Looks safe, huh?

Homestretch!

We're definitely into the homestretch of the pregnancy (just over 6 weeks left), and definitely overdue for a blog update. I have been exhausted this past week. Sometime during the Utah trip, I think I reached some kind of turning point where I started to feel very, very, very pregnant. Standing up from a lying or sitting position has become increasingly difficult and uncomfortable. Even turning over in bed or on the couch makes me feel like a beached whale. Bring in the ropes! Bring in the crane! Most importantly... bring in the snacks!

Last Monday we had two appointments: our 32-week check-up and big-baby ultrasound. The good news is that the baby looks healthy so far. The shocking news was when the ultrasound office's doctor entered the room to ask, "Do you have gestational diabetes?" (to which I replied that I did not), followed with, "Well, we estimate the baby to weigh about 6lb, 4oz, which is in the top 98th percentile". Mind you--that weight estimate was at the time of the appointment (one week ago), not the estimated birth weight. Our precious little bundle of joy isn't so little! In fact, that weight estimate is already bigger than my own birth weight (6lb 2oz)!


So of course, this had me in a bit of a panic mode. Big-baby report in hand, we then headed a few floors down to our OB's office. Her nurse tried to comfort me with an empathetic "I've seen bigger", which actually came out sounding like more of a question than a statement of fact. She could probably tell I was a little frazzled, and wanted to make me feel better. What did make me feel better was when she put it in perspective--it's better to know now than in the heat of the moment during labor and delivery.

Despite the results of the ultrasound, the doc came in with her usual big smile, which gave me a little boost of confidence. (She is so good at that!) We discussed the baby's size, and what it could mean during labor and delivery. She introduced the possibility of a ceasarean section if my "planned" all-natural drug-free labor does not progress as it should. She said she would likely be willing to schedule a c-section if I wanted to, but we agreed to play it by ear for now.

I then asked about the baby's specific anatomic measurements. The femur length was the smallest of those that were taken. This did worry me a bit--but it was more of a yellow flag than a red one. (Okay, maybe more of a greenish yellow flag.) She said not to worry, since even the femur was still measuring bigger than expecteted for gestational age, and also could be a result of my hispanic heritage. She said that we'll be ready for anything with around-the-clock neonatologists.

Jeff and I are aware that the ultrasound weight estimate is truly just an estimate, and it can be off by about 20%. (Though the doc joked "You could give birth to a toddler!") We are continuing to stay positive. We have our eyes on the prize: that precious, perfect, little (or big) angelic baby will be here soon.

S

Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers!

Like Shauna said, I'm here to describe the momentous experience that was the ultrasound waiting room. Momentous you say? Yes, quite. You see, we weren't the only ones in the waiting room. There was the receptionist, some random couple, Bill Gates and his pregnant mistress, the janitor, another receptionist...BILL GATES!!! (click picture for maximum viewing pleasure). And we have the pictures to prove it! Shauna was laughing too hard, or the picture would have come out better. Plus, we had to be all discreet and everything, being a paparazzo is harder than it looks. How do we know it was Bill? For the doubters out there, take note of the crossed legs and hands on his knees, such Bill behavior. His eyes to the sky as he contemplates the wonders that will be Windows 7. So what was it like to be in the same room as the inventor of BASIC and Windows 95? In a word, productive. As soon as we got home we were both motivated to break out Word and Excel, nerding out until we could nerd no more.

PS-This is obviously not Bill Gates, and he obviously does not have a mistress. However, the below link is one of our favorites, and it really is Steve Ballmer, formerly known as Microsoft's second in command. Enjoy!

Developers!

J

Chunky Baby

Yesterday was a bit exhausting for the three of us. We started the day with 3 1/2 hours at the lab for the glucose tolerance test. The high dose of sugar (this time it was the orange flavor) on an empty stomach was nauseating for the first hour, but it didn't last the entire morning, which was good. The phlebotomists were really nice, so they helped make it bearable. They took four draws that left my arm looking a little beat up. Jeff is a waiting room expert, so he was prepared with books, magazines, and video games for the morning. They definitely helped pass the time, but it was just nice to spend the morning chatting with one another. We expect to get the official results on Monday, though I am already suspecting the outcome...

After a great lunch at one of our favorite nearby restaurants (Teapot Vegetarian House), we went to the ultrasound appointment. Jeff will have to fill you all in on the waiting room experience at the ultrasound appointment (I'm sure he'll be posting about it). The baby looked great. S/he was quite active throughout the procedure. It was fun to feel and see the movement at the same time. The technician couldn't get a clear profile shot, so we have a frontal view of the face, which I put some markings on since it may be tough to fully make out.


The not-so-good news is that the baby is much bigger than s/he should be. Our little sprout is now a big sprout, weighing 3 lbs, though 2.5 is normal. This is a sign that the news on Monday regarding the gestational diabetes test will not be pleasant. Regardless of this fact, the ultrasound was really great, and the baby is otherwise quite healthy. We'll be sure to update everyone when we find out the official results from the test. I don't want to get too ahead of myself, but I have a feeling we are in for a high-risk pregnancy.

S

Filipino Nose!

I can hardly believe that the first half of pregnancy has come and gone. We had our 20-week ultrasound on Monday. We were both excited (and nervous) about this particular ultrasound. Of course, I probably expressed it a bit more than the ever-stoic daddy-to-be. His strength and support are so soothing. In the specialist's darkened exam room, I lay on what resembled a reclined salon chair while Jeff held my hand and the technician covered my belly with warm goo. We immediately saw a perfect image of our little baby sprout on the screen in front of us. So much had changed between 12 and 20 weeks!


It was quite emotional when they were viewing the anatomy. What would they find? How would the bones measure? Was the spine developing properly? My eyes moistened a bit--especially when the technician moved to a posterior view of the back. Its not that we saw anything bad. In fact, everything looked really great, from what our untrained eyes observed (though the technician had a hard time getting pictures of the heart, the MD was able to just fine). I just couldn't help but be overwhelmed with hopeful emotions for our baby's health. Jeff and I exchanged hand squeezes in silence. We were relieved when the ultrasound MD came in to tell us that everything looked normal. All measurements came back as being either at or even beyond expected length for gestational age. I still felt a bit unnerved. I knew (and am constantly aware) that the baby could still be born with defects. However, our own doctor has a knack for putting me at ease. She is just so wonderful. Jeff described her to me as a friend or neighbor that just happened to be a doctor. He is so right. Her nurse also got us a little excited by saying, "before you know it, you'll be holding your baby in your arms". What an angelic thought. So for now, we will let the worry get some rest. We will be as emotionally prepared as we can be for anything that could go wrong (though even things that go "wrong" can still ultimately be survived). Instead of fretting about it, we will embrace this experience for everything beautiful that it is. We are so very thankful for this baby. I feel so lucky for how "easy" this pregnancy has been in comparison to other women that really struggle to get, stay, or endure pregnancy.

In between the ultrasound and doctor appointments, we had a bit of time, so walked just a bit down Madison Street to grab a bite to eat at a nearby organic café (which was just so-so). We sat at the window to people watch a bit, and our gazes kept wandering to the ultrasound pictures of the baby. We both agreed that the baby definitely has a Filipino nose (thanks, Dad), which made us smile. We shared meditative moments of gazing at these pictures, and imagining the joy that will be entering our life together in just a few short months. That first week of September can't come soon enough.

S

The Journey Begins...

...Albeit 4 months into the journey! We'll make up a bit of time by posting our first two ultrasound pictures. Jeff is infamous for taking "pictures of pictures", so the quality might not be the best. (His empty promises of using a scanner in the future lead to justifiable skepticism.)

Everything is going really well with the pregnancy. We've decided to let the gender be a surprise during the delivery. Almost everyone (especially soon-to-be Uncle Greg) thinks this is a crazy decision! People also think its a little nutty that we are going for a drug-free birth. What can we say, its the tree-hugging hippies in us.

We will be at the 16-week mark tomorrow, and we are excited for our next appointment on Tuesday, March 25th. It will just be a quick, normal check-up, but we're excited for every little event. Jeff is so wonderful to go to every appointment, no matter what it is for.

Mama's belly is definitely swelling with a baby bump these days. Clothes aren't fitting quite like they used to. Hopefully we can hold out for the weather to warm up before buying new maternity clothes.

S&J