Thanksgiving and 20 Weeks!

Yay for Thanksgiving!   Thanksgiving and Christmas are not only significant because of what those days symbolize, but also because of the FOOD!!!  Oh, how I love food.   Even if my choices are now limited because I'm pregnant, the food spread at Thanksgiving tasted and looked heavenly.  We celebrated with John's family and also a friend they invited from church.  After I completely gorged myself to the max, and sat in my usual place on the couch, the baby went crazy with delight, squirming and kicking with all the delicious food in my tummy!

Look at the size of that leg bone...

Can you tell Caleb's plate has nothing on it?  We gave him a few potatoes and he wouldn't even eat that.  He did eat a bit of the inside of the roll, but that was it, no turkey, no jello, nothing.  Right after dinner he comes up to me and says "Mommy, I'm so hungry!"  Of course you are finicky child, you didn't eat!  I hope he grows out of this picky stage quickly...

Terri cooked so much for this dinner and I was no help!  John stepped in (due to my lack) and showed off his culinary skills by making a banana cream pie and the gravy.  Though we had a few tense moments between chef (myself) and apprentice (John), everything came out spectacular!  It was so hard staying on the couch and trying to tell John what to do, when a lot of what we were cooking was based on how things 'look' with consistency and taste.  In the end, everything came out great!  As did everything Terri prepared: turkey, jello, pumpkin pie, rolls, beans, potatoes, and orange stuffed yams, none of which could be beat!

John's parents Terri & Dave & random shots of Caleb

Thanksgiving Day also was significant because I turned 20 weeks!  I am now at the start of my 5th month, can you believe it?!  It's time to post new pictures of the growing belly!  I thought it would be fun to compare pictures of what I looked like at 20 weeks with Caleb.  In comparison, I'm pretty much the exact same measurement at the biggest point of my belly, I'm also the same weight wise, only a 1 pound difference.  I'd say these two pregnancies are looking the same so far.

Here I am in both pictures with Caleb at 20 weeks, even though I look smaller in the one to the left, these pictures are taken a few days within each other.  Funny what a shirt and having my shoulders back can do in appearance!

And here I am with baby #2 20 weeks!  

I think I look bigger in person...

And because it was Thanksgiving, I thought it appropriate to just list a few things I'm grateful for:

1.  John's help through all of this, being completely supportive of the need for me to stay down.  Not an easy task when this often means he has to do everything!  He doesn't complain when he does all the grocery shopping I ask, laundry, cleaning and plays with Caleb every moment he can.  He has been my knight in shining armor, how I love him for it!  I'm also so thankful he has a stable job to support us, enabling me to stay home with Caleb.

2.  John's parents who have sacrificed incredibly to help and assist me with this baby.  Terri has taken leave of work, so she can help watch Caleb throughout the day, allowing me to rest.  I cannot say enough to express my gratitude and thanks I feel for them.  They have been super grandma and grandpa to Caleb, striving to assist in whatever way possible.  The brunt of the work has fallen on Terri, she has been my angel!  This pregnancy could not have been possible with out their help and John's.  

3.  For all of my family, who have continued to check up on me, express their concern and willingness to help however they can.  For their fasts and prayers in my behalf.  I know you would do more if you could!

4.  For all of you who continue to pray for my well being, that this pregnancy may defeat the odds and have a happy ending!

5.  I'm profoundly grateful for this life within me, a miracle in itself, who has been such a fighter, pushing through when it has seemed like little hope has existed.  For those kicks, rolls and punches that say hello, I am here and can't wait to come!  How grateful I am for modern technology that has given me the chance to be closely monitored and keep tabs on this high-risk pregnancy.  

6.  For my beautiful little boy Caleb, how I love his loving and playful spirit.  There is not enough room in my being to hold the love I have for him.  The other day he said to me out of the blue:  "Mommy, I make you so happy!" and it's true, I cannot imagine life without him.  He does make me so happy.  I think this pregnancy has brought to my attention all the more, how precious life is and how blessed I am to have been given him.  

7.  I will lump in all those other things most of are grateful, the country in which I live, a nice house, freedom to choose and do as I please, and the Gospel to bless and direct my life.  Whew, and that was my Thanksgiving!

Next holiday... Christmas!!!  Is everyone getting ready???

Open House and Other News

It's time to post about John!  He had an open house the other week to celebrate his arrival with the team.  The open house was for other dentists, endodontists, lab technicians and other branches of the dental community, to come and see who and what Dr. Young was all about.  Sadly, once again I could not make it!  I've missed out on some really big things for him, like a a transition course down in Arizona, the open house, and other office gatherings.  Sigh...what do you do?  Growing this baby has proved to be a difficult job!  Thankfully John's mom got the above picture for me.  You can see the senior dentist John works with, his wife and the office manager of the practice.  All of them the nicest people!  John really is so fortunate to be in such a wonderful place.  

(Outside the office, they share the building with an orthodontist upstairs.)

(The waiting area inside the office)

Here are a few pictures of the practice.  These were taken back in February, I haven't been able to update and get new ones!  But, in only 6 months, it's basically remained the same.  I really wanted to get a few shots of John's work area (maybe him working on a patient in the chair), but it will have to wait!  I have the camera and am currently spending about 3 weeks with John's parents in Seattle.  It's been easier for John's mom to watch us here and for me to go to my appointments.  John will have to take pictures another time, for another post!  He loves working at the practice here in Bellingham, and feels like it's a really good fit.  I 'm really happy for him and the exciting times for him ahead, as he builds up the practice and gets into his own groove.  Way to go Dr. Young!  And yes, the patients tell him all the time that he really is so young! Well, in looks anyways, 30 isn't horribly young.  Wouldn't it be nice to age with a baby face?!

To update everyone on pregnancy news, I went in for another appointment this last Wednesday and received similar news.  SCH is measuring 10 cm x 4, with other smaller hemorrhages throughout the placenta.  There is both old and new blood.  The doctors are baffled as to why this is happening and for lack of a better word, he called it a 'funky' placenta.  Not one that a doctor typically sees.  He said there have been positive and negative outcomes with a placenta that looks like this, and that's why we have to keep a close eye on it.  He ordered some genetic testing to rule out any problems with the baby.  Thankfully, everything came back negative.  The ultrasound showed a 'bright spot' on the baby's heart, but because all the tests are negative and the baby is growing on track, they said it's not cause for concern.  It should resolve by the third trimester and have no lasting effects.  The only real concern is the bleeding!!!  Drama, drama is what this pregnancy has been about!  I love seeing him on the ultrasound, he already is the cutest thing to me, besides Caleb of course!

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Today, I went down to Seattle to see a Perinatologist.  Here in Bellingham, they do not have any 'high-risk' pregnancy specialists.  In fact, they do not have a ICU for babies if born before 34 weeks.  I went to Seattle and saw a group of specialists that I had actually seen with Caleb.  If anyone had not known, I had a SCH with Caleb as well.  By the time I saw a perinatologist with him, the doctor told me the size of the SCH was insignificant and that I would most likely carry a full term baby, with no other complications.  I did!  Caleb was born 4 days before his due date.  Sadly, the news from the Peri today was not the same.  

So I will first focus on the good before going into the bad and ugly.  Everyone likes happy news!  In my baby gender poll, two thirds of you said it was a girl, I had thought so too!  At least I had before 14 weeks (3 weeks ago the tech said she thought it was a boy)!  But---the gender is now official (or 98% official they say), and the baby is a BOY!!! Makes things easier for me!   The doctor said the baby looked great, no problems, questions or worries with the baby.   We counted all 5 fingers and toes on each hand and foot.  

(This is a picture of the face, in 2D ultrasound, the images show bones, so don't be scared!  You can see the mouth and eye sockets, and kind of the nose)

I had an ultrasound before my doctor's appointment.  The technician spent 45 minutes taking measurements and looking at the surrounding area.  She said that she wanted to show the results to the doctor and would then be back, to say I was done.  I waited forever for her.  A good 10 minutes and then some went by.  I thought maybe I was confused and had misheard her, maybe I was done after all?  So I toweled off my slimy tummy and was opening the door to leave, when she came back and said no, we're not done.  She wanted to look at a few more things and take more pictures.  Her being gone so long talking to the doctor and coming back to take even more pictures (after 45 minutes worth), I knew something had to be wrong.  Because I've had so many ultrasounds, I can read my anatomy pretty well by now.  I knew she was looking at the placenta and I could see the dark area underneath.  I prayed that it wasn't the hemorrhage, but what else could it be? After another 10-15 minutes worth, I was finally done!  It was then time for the doctor's interpretation of the ultrasound.  I was shown to the exam room and had my blood pressure taken.  The nurse said, 'well, thankfully your blood pressure is really low, one less problem to worry about!'  Knowing the Ultrasound tech refused to give any information (a bad sign of things too) I asked the nurse if the SCH was still there.  She said, 'oh yes, it spans the whole length of the placenta now.'  Having done research on this particular condition, I knew this is the worst possible place it could be.  The SCH had spread considerably.  

(Here is a very basic drawing of the problem, the membrane separates from the uterine wall, leaving a pool of blood, preventing the two from going back together)

The doctor then came in to give me all the ugly news.  I really liked the doctor today, she was fantastic, but it was her job to tell me the facts, and not sugar coat anything.  The SCH now measured over 9 cm x 3.5 cm x 3.5.  It had nearly quadrupled in size from 2 weeks ago.  The doctor at the Bellingham practice had told me to increase my activity, obviously he was wrong and it was way too soon.  In that time, so much bad had happened.  The doctor went in to the 'ugly' part, saying what exactly this meant.  It meant all kinds of potentially horrible things.  The SCH could cause placenta to completely detach, the placenta could die slowly, slowly cutting off nutrients to the baby, the SCH (which is blood in the uterus) could cause the uterus to contract and send me into pre-mature labor (which I did have regular Braxton Hicks contractions for 2 hours the past 2 nights and has scared me to death, thankfully they eventually subside), the contractions could also shorten my cervix (which it has done, but it's not at a dangerous length), also my water could break due to the pressure exerted by the SCH and labor would follow.   The doctor didn't know what would happen in my case, but she did say this is something to be very worried about, that I'm not making a big deal out of something small, this was a major complication (b/c of size & location) that opened the door for many other problems to happen.  She had seen many patients with hemorrhages, but mine was a bad case, a large SCH in a critical area.  Basically there was nothing positive, except the baby looked great at the moment.  The doctor's goal is to get me to 30 weeks.  I know it's in the Lord's hands and I believe miracles can happen, I just hope I can be one of them.  Stay baby stay!  We love you too much already.

Trick-or-Treat

Get ready for pictures!  I LOVE Halloween and finally this year, we were able to celebrate it a bit more!  Kind of silly since I'm on the 'take it real easy routine', but with my mom coming out to help this last week, we just had too much fun!   It's the best when you hear kids coming up and saying, "cool house!", even if the kids saying that are only 8 years, it makes every minute of effort, totally worth it!  

Earlier on this week, we made ghosts, aren't they fun?!

What's Halloween without carving pumpkins?!  The yearly tradition has become especially fun, now that Caleb can be more involved.  

These are pictures of getting ready to carve...

Caleb does not like his hands to be dirty, I was lucky to get this shot.  One time of touching the gooey pumpkin guts and that was it!  No amount of coaxing could get him to do it again.

Are you sick of all my pictures, I warned you, there are lots of them this post!  I love these bottom two of Caleb looking at the lighted pumpkin.

Caleb was fascinated by the carved faces and how the pumpkins glowed.  

After pumpkins, my mom, John and Caleb decorated the outside with cobwebs, skeletons and purple lights.

And of course the good stuff, HALLOWEEN night!  Here comes Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!

Someone else took the picture below, but is this just not the cutest close up shot?!

Even if Caleb was tired, grumpy and refused to do his super Caleb pose, he still made an adorable Buzz.

After Caleb had taken off his costume and ate a few of his treats, I asked him if he wanted to go trick-or-treating next year.  His response:  "No, not again". 

 I'm sure he'll change his mind! :-)

A day at the park and more news!

Yesterday was a busy day!  I have tried to do a few more things recently, seeing if there are any repercussions, so far so good.  We all went to the park before my ultrasound yesterday.  I have only been out and about to my appointments, I have been missing out on all the fall colors!  At the park, I realized how beautiful the trees are, I'm sad I've missed so much!  Even if I couldn't run around and play with Caleb, it was nice to get out and do something normal.   

After the park, it was on to my doctor's appointment.  This was the first time John could make it to the ultrasound!  We saw the little baby, wiggling around.  The hemorrhage had not changed from the last time, so it's still there, we're hoping my body will reabsorb it.  At least there is no bad news to report, only good that everything is right on track!  Here I am, 14 weeks and 5 days, only another 5 weeks and I'll be half way!!!  For the big news, we asked the ultrasound tech if she could tell the gender... well, she didn't want to say.  I guess she's never been wrong after 17 weeks, but before then, it could go either way.  So she checked, just to humor us and said it looks like a.... BOY!  I was completely surprised!  I have been thinking it was a girl this whole time.  Maybe it's because I've been so sick this pregnancy (and wasn't as much with Caleb), but I was leaning towards a girl.  There was only one time, during an ultrasound, that I thought the baby looked boyish.  I then reverted thinking it was a girl afterwards.  Caleb and John have been solid on thinking it's a boy, maybe I should have listened to them.  After all, little kids are often more in tune than us!  BUT-- Nothing definitive yet!  The ultrasound tech said she has been wrong at this stage in pregnancy and seen girls looking like a boy at this time.  So I can't say for sure!  But it is fun to guess.  In about two weeks time, I'll be able to post an official gender to the baby!

Alright, if you all want to see my progression so far, I've posted pictures below starting from 8 weeks in my pregnancy.   I've waited to post until I've gotten a bit of a bump, well, it's happened.  This last Sunday, I looked in the mirror after my shower and said, the day has come, I have pooched!  Now keep in mind, the last picture is the most recent!

8 weeks pregnant

10 Weeks 

12 Weeks

Yesterday (Monday), 14 weeks and 4 days pregnant!  Even if I look like I gained 5 pounds from 12 to 14 weeks, I actually lost weight from my last doctor's appointment.  I don't know how your tummy pooches (not to mention the rest of you) when you haven't gained weight!  I think the nausea is subsiding a bit, so I'm sure I'll gain my appetite back full force.  :-)