Today's Ultrasound

This was the shortest ultrasound I've ever had! I'll admit, it was a little disappointing since Josh was able to come along today. But, I know in the scheme of things it's not important!

Anyway, everything is still looking great!

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend! Thanks to those who serve our country! RIP Sgt. Chad Allen and others who've given their lives!

I said I wouldn't...

...but I did! :-) Josh took belly pics for me last night!

30 Weeks and Dr Appt

I cannot believe I am 30 weeks along! This little baby is about 15.7 inches long now and around 3 pounds - the size of a cabbage! (Definitely not as big as those cabbages we had from gma and gpa P. last year!)

I haven't had any real definite cravings with this pregnancy, but something strange has started. I found out at my last appt that my iron is low so I started taking an additional iron supplement. I thought it was because of my iron being low that I was wanting to eat meat all the time and Josh said, "Or you're craving it!" Duh! :-) So I guess I've been craving meat! I ordered a t-bone when we went for dinner for Kayleigh's benefit and everyone was laughing at me! I seriously don't think I've ever ordered one before!

In addition to my new craving, I've also been having a terrible time sleeping this week. I have been having a lot of dreams, which isn't unusual for me anyway, but they have been so vivid that when I wake up I can't get them out of my head. I can also hardly roll over in bed and can't get comfortable no matter which side I sleep on. (Not to mention that when I do roll over I lean across Josh and he's accidently hit me in the face countless times with his elbow!) All I want to do is sleep on my back! :-) That's not an option because it hurts my lower back and my feet go numb! Last night I slept with a small pillow between my knees and felt much better, so hopefully that'll do the trick. I know this pregnancy is a blessing so I feel like I have to say that don't mean to sound ungrateful by whining!

Tyler came with me to my appt with Dr S on Thursday morning. We got called in by a different nurse, who I learned was a medical assistant student helping out for the day. She took my weight (Tyler insists on having his done too!) and I lost another pound! No one seems concerned about this so I'm not either!

When she took us back to the room we met the regular nurse. I'm glad she was in there too because while the student was taking my blood pressure, Tyler climbed up on the table and laid down! So she was able to make sure he didn't fall off the table! :-) My blood pressure was 133/82 but Dr S wasn't concerned since it was good last week at the kidney dr and has been at home. I blamed Tyler climbing up on the table and she laughed! There was a trace of protein in my urine which didn't concern her either.

Like my other visits, Tyler got to help measure my uterus, which measured at 31 weeks instead of 30! He just loves helping out. He also gets to put the doppler on my belly and find Sprout's heartbeat. It's so much fun and I hope Josh will be able to come to one of these appointments so he can see it and maybe take a picture.

I now have all of my appts made up until July 14th! I will be going every other week until the middle of June, when I start going every week. My c-section date might change to the 13th or the 15th because of a Dr S' schedule. No big deal for Josh and I and she is in no hurry to set the date so that works for me! Starting with my next appt, I will be having a Non-Stress Test before each appt. It takes a half hour and if I remember correctly from when I was pregnant with Tyler they put a doppler on my belly to measure Sprout's heartbeat and maybe his movements too, I can't remember for sure! (surprise, surprise!)

My next ultrasound is scheduled for next Friday at 10:15. Hopefully Josh won't have to work and can come along!

Kidney Doctor Update

Again, some great news! More reasons to feel blessed!

I met Dr. B today and was completely impressed. He talked in plain English, he let me talk, he listened. Let me tell you, the care I am receiving with this pregnancy is such a 180 from when we moved here when I was 7 months pregnant with Tyler!

After the rundown of the usual questions from the nurse, who was super nice, she took my blood pressure. 122/75. Works for me! Then Dr. B came in and asked a few routine questions. We also talked about what happened with my pregnancy with Tyler. Basically, Dr. B was happy that my ob, Dr. S, had me see him, but didn't see any reason for alarm at this point. He said any "normal" person could have 240 grams of protein in their urine on any given day. I asked him how many grams of protein I had when they delivered Tyler early and he said it was 13,000 grams! Yikes! He told me that since my blood pressure is under control he doesn't think I'm developing preeclampsia at this point. It is most likely just how the pregnancy is effecting my body. If my blood pressure goes up and so does the protein we'll have to talk about going on bed rest, which I knew would happen.

I have an appointment to see him in November after the baby is here so we can do some tests that we can't do now and make sure there is no damage. At that point he asked me if we planned on having more kids. I told him no, Josh and I had decided that it is too dangerous for me to be pregnant. He agreed and when I told him I'd go back on birth control since I have PCOS, he reminded me that the pill can also elevate my blood pressure. SO, I am considering having my tubes tied while they already have me cut open for the c-section so I don't have to worry about birth control...Josh and I have to talk more about that soon...

So not a whole lot of new news, just more reassuring that things are going well! :-)
(Insert deep breath here!)

Three hour glucose test

The results are in . . .

After an almost relaxing 3 hours spent reading at the lab today, I have good news! My doctor's nurse called around 4:00 today and I DO NOT have gestational diabetes!

YAY ME! :-) One test down, one to go. (Kidney Dr Wednesday at 3:00)

Yesterday marked the 28th week of my pregnancy! Only 83 days to go! :-) Sprout now weighs 2.4 pounds according to my last ultrasound. That's about the size of a Chinese cabbage, with his length around 15 inches, so says BabyCenter.com! Below is a picture of what he might look like in the womb. Of course our little Sprout had his head up and feet down during my ultrasound earlier this week, which explains those strong kicks to my bladder!

Another exciting thing JUST happened! Daddy finally got to feel Sprout giving me a good kick! I love the smile on his face when it goes all the up to his eyes...he's so handsome! :-) Still makes my heart skip a beat after almost 10 years! (Gag me, I know!) I can't wait to see what Tyler does when he finally gets to feel a kick!

Not what we wanted to hear... *Updated*

Well, apparently my doc appt went so well because we didn't have any test results back yet to talk about.

Glucose Test My sugar level came back high. I was too shocked and forgot to ask what the number was. At any rate, I have to go to have a 3 hour lab done tomorrow. I had this done with Tyler and it came back normal so we're praying that will happen again.

24 Hour Urine for April I do a 24 hour urine same once per month so they have something to compare to in case we were to see preeclampsia come on. My protein level for March was 94 and this month it was 240! Needless to say that is a jump and since my blood pressure has been good they are apparently not sure what is going on. So I am seeing a kidney doctor some time soon. I am on a waiting list because when I tried to make an appointment the soonest they could get me in was May 28th! I told the receptionist between my sobs, "That is unacceptable!" She said she would let the nurses know and they will fit me in the schedule. I was so blindsided that I didn't even ask what kind of tests they will be doing, so I am going to call back today to get some more answers.

I was, with reason, very upset yesterday...the protein issues didn't start happening with my pregnancy with Tyler until 35 weeks. And then I had him 3 days later. I'm praying we don't have to have this baby now...it is just too soon. :-(

I'll update again when I have more info...

Update: Kidney doc appt May 6th at 3:00. I don't need to be on bed rest or anything until then. The nurse just reiterated we need to find out why my kidneys are spilling protein since my blood pressure has been so good. As for the what they will be doing, we're not really sure yet other than more blood work.

Is it possible?!

Can I really be almost 7 months along?! WOW! I have no idea where the time went, but it's just flying by!

I had ultrasound #6 on Monday and everything is still looking great. They gave Sprout his first "test" and he scored an 8/8! He weighs approximately 2.4 pounds and I'm measuring a week ahead of schedule. I'm positive my baby bump is bigger now than when I delivered Tyler at 35 weeks! It's really amazing how different this pregnancy has been. When people ask how I'm feeling I can finally say, "good" and mean it! :-)

On Tuesday I had a check up with Dr. S and she said everything is looking great. (I'm going every other week now and calling in my blood pressure the weeks I don't see her.) My blood pressure was up at my last appointment but this time it was 114/70! It's been very low at home also, so we are hoping this is a good sign and I'm going to go full term! We also scheduled a c-section for July 16th. Things are falling into place! We'll keep praying this baby keeps cooking as long as he's supposed to! :-)

Josh and I finally decided about a month ago to give Tyler a new "big boy room" instead of buying new baby bedding, etc. His new room is going to be what is now our office so we have to get everything cleaned out of there so we can paint and get him in there before the baby comes and he has two things to adjust to! We have twin mattresses from one of his co-workers so we just have to get a frame and headboard. His new theme is planes, trains and trucks and we've already found some cute stuff to decorate! We're going to paint a blue sky on the top of the walls and green on the bottom. Where the blue and green meet we're going to make the green look like hills. (LoL...does any of that make sense?!) We have trucks and trains to put on the hills so I'm hoping it turns out cute! I'll definitely post some pictures! :-)

BTW - Tyler just told me he has whiskers cuz he forgot to shave today! I swear, you just never know what they are going to say!!!

Sneak Peek at our baby boy!

I had no idea they were going to do a 3-D ultrasound at my appointment on March 31st! I've seen them online before and thought they were creepy. But when it was MY child it was AMAZING! We even got to watch him move around in 3-D and he opened and closed his mouth. It was unbelievable!

IT'S A BOY - Ultrasound Pictures!

From my ultrasound March 6th!

Oh BOY!

Profile

Skull

Forearm

Little footise!

Spine

Benefit for Kayleigh

I want to let you know about a benefit I am helping with for Kayleigh, who is the daughter of Missy, who I went to high school with. A group of Melissa's friends and family are planning a benefit for Kayleigh to help pay for some of the millions of dollars in medical bills that Kayleigh has built up over the past 18+ months. Even though I hadn't seen Missy in 10 years, I decided to help out with this great cause because none of us ever really know what God's plan is and if something like this could happen to our own child.

Please check out the new link on my right sidebar. You'll be able to read Kayleigh's story and (if you choose) even donate to Kayleigh's fund!

22 Weeks

The baby is now a spaghetti squash. Well, not acutally a spaghetti squash, but you know! He's 11 inches, about one pound and is even starting to look like a newborn baby!

I think this pregnancy is finally beginning to feel real. Now that the baby is getting bigger I'm feeling a lot more movement (which I love!) and it's a huge relief. My belly has been doing a lot of stretching the past few days and I've been a little bit sore. I swear that in the last two days I can SEE the difference in the size of my belly! I'm also getting itchy, which I suppose is another good sign of growth!

Daddy and I finally decided that we are going to give Tyler's baby bedding to the new little boy and give Tyler a new room in what is now our office. We went back and forth on what to do for a long time so it's nice to have finally come to a decision! Tyler is very excited for the move and can't wait to have his "truck" room. I've been searching on eBay to find a deal on new bedding and we plan on painting his new room with the top part of the walls blue and the bottom green with a "road" between the two colors so we can put truck and car decals on it. (I'll definitely post pictures!) We plan on getting a start on that soon so he has enough time to transition and get settled in before we bring home the little one that's going to turn his world upside down! :-)

I missed a week!

After such exciting news, how could I have forgotten to post?!

My 20 week ultrasound went great! Our little BOY is looking great and my blood pressure was a phenomenal 118/58!! I think that's the lowest it's EVER been, pregnant or not! What a relief, let me tell ya!

Josh and I are excited to be having another little boy running around here with Tyler! To tell the truth, I'm a little relieved it's another boy so I am a little prepared for what is to come. I'm not much of a girlie girl either so I'll be content playing trucks some more! :-) Plus, we're going to save so much money on clothes! Since Tyler's birthday is in July and this baby will (hopefully) be born in July, the clothes will even be the right size and the right season!

Tyler is a bit confused about the whole thing yet. We told him he was going to have a little brother and he said, "Or a sister?" LoL...

I'm now 21 weeks and the baby is about 10 inches long, the size of a carrot! He weighs about 3/4 of a pound now too! It's very exciting for the baby to be this big because I'm feeling him move around more and it puts my mind at ease.

It's so great to say HE and HIM instead of it or he/she!!

Week 19

Only 4 more days until my ultrasound!! Josh and I are very excited to find out the sex of the baby! As for Tyler, he keeps saying he's going to have a brother and a sister. LoL...I don't think so! :-)

At 19 weeks the baby is the size of an heirloom tomato, 6 inches head to rump and about 8.5 ounces. Of course, we'll find out the size of OUR baby on Friday during the ultrasound! At this stage of development they say the baby begins to be able to hear our voices, which is very evident to me right now. Every time Daddy is around this little one is kicking up a storm!

Speaking of movement, this little one is very quiet so far in comparison to Tyler. He was VERY active and always getting the hiccups. This little one gives me a poke here and there, but not much other than that so far. I'm sure that will change in the next few weeks as he/she gets bigger and bigger. I'll just feel better after the ultrasound when we know things are going good.

Tyler's potty training is coming along but not really getting any better. On Sunday afternoon Tyler pooped in his big boy undies. :-( Luckily it wasn't messy, but it was a bummer. We are hoping he catches on and starts becoming a bit more interested soon so we don't have two little ones in diapers!

I'm 18 weeks!!

The baby is about 5.5 inches long, approximately the size of a green bell pepper, and weighs about 7 ounces! I'm feeling a lot more kicks and movements lately, but still nothing like the wiggles I got from Tyler. I think this little one might have his/her days and nights mixed up because mornings and afternoons are quiet until about the time Josh gets home from work. And when I wake up and night I can almost always expect a little kick from him/her!

The countdown is on...only two more weeks until our next ultrasound where we'll find out the sex of our new little baby!! (OR we'll CONFIRM that it's a girl if I'm right...haha)

Baby Update and Ultrasound #2 pics

Hello all! I haven't blogged in a while so I thought I'd put up an update on Baby #2!

First of all, I am considered high risk again because I have high blood pressure and also had severe preeclampsia with Tyler. I had an ultrasound at 8 weeks to check up on the baby and determine my due date, which is July 23rd, 2009.

I have been feeling so great! This pregnancy is very different from when I was pregnant with Tyler. I have been having morning/afternoon/evening sickness, but it comes and goes this time, where with Tyler it was pretty constant. I have been taking Unisom and vitamin B6 and it's been helping. I'm also very tired this time around and I wasn't with Tyler. I know it's partially because I have Tyler to take care of and less rest time, but these differences make me feel like it might be a girl!! :-) I was right with Tyler so maybe I'll be right again!

My mom and Tyler went with me yesterday for my 16 week ultrasound with Dr. S*, the high risk dr from Marshfield. (Josh had to work.) Baby is doing well and growing right on schedule! Dr. S* and I talked about my preeclampsia with Tyler and everything that led up to it. We also discussed the fact that there is no way to avoid it or predict if I will get it again and there is no cure except removing the baby. So basically we are being proactive and keeping a close eye on my protien levels, blood pressure, and the baby's growth to make sure if it does come on again we can catch it as soon as possible.

Next ultrasound is March 6th...Josh is going with me so we'll (hopefully) be finding out the sex that day!!! YAY!! :-)

Here are the new pics!

News!

Happy (belated) Halloween!!

Things are getting more and more interesting and entertaining as Tyler gets older. Last year we took him trick-or-treating to my parents and grandparents houses and a couple friends. He pretty much didn't know what the deal was and we ate most of his candy. This year was completely different and it makes me so excited for Christmas! Tyler dressed as Clifford the Big Red Dog, which is one of his fave shows/books. He totally hammed it up telling everyone "Happy Halloween" and saying "trick or treat"! We stuck to going to one of the neighbors houses, an old folks home and family again but next year I think we will all be ready to take a tour around the neighborhood!

After we were done my Aunt came over to watch Tyler for us so the big kids could dress up and go out! What a blast!! Josh and I dressed up Gothic. All of our friends dressed up too and all the costumes were awesome! Dawn even won 1st Place in a costume contest at one of the bars we went to! (She's the fairy on the far right in the bottom pic)

We all had a great Halloween this year and I hope you all did too!

Our trip to Minnesota

It had been 3 months since we had seen Mindy and Ron. But since we saw them on our trip to Florida without Tyler it had been 7 months since they had seen Tyler.

On Friday we took my wedding ring to Shane Co so it could be sized. Kudos to them for having it ready on Sunday afternoon so we didn't have to ship it. I seriously love that place and have been treated so great by them over the years. Then we went to the Twins Pro Shop in Minnetonka (?) to get our game tickets for Saturday. Mindy bought Tyler a Twins hat because he was wearing his Packers hat and she just couldn't stand it! ;-) Then we walked over to Eddington's for lunch...omg, I miss that place. Yum! Our next stop was the Como Zoo. We loved it...it was just the right size that by the time Tyler had enough we had seen everything.

Saturday morning we visited an old co-worker and her family before heading to the Dome for the Twins game. It was Tyler's first game and he loved it! He did so good we were able to stay until the 8th inning.

After the game we went to our fave Thai restaurant in Osseo. PAD THAI = DELISH!

I really missed being in the cities until we got stuck in traffic on the way home from the zoo. I love visiting there tho and I really miss our friends. And all the fun stuff to do. But I know we'll be back for more visits and there will always be fun things waiting for us that we didn't explore in the almost 5 years we lived there.

Speaking of living there, we didn't even drive thru our old neighborhood this time. The main road to get there was closed and we never got around to going. Kinda wish we'd have checked it out, but maybe it's time to move on. Does anyone else drive by their old/first homes?

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches

I don't think I've mentioned on here what a neat freak our son is. Well, not so much neat freak as obsessive compuslive about getting dirty. He spent his summer (somewhat) overcoming a fear of sand and picking up his favorite phrase, "Dooty, dooty, dooty," which is Tyler speak for dirty, dirty, dirty. He loves waffles but every time he eats them he says, "Get dirty? You're ok." At one point it was borderline scary but now it's getting better. He even played in the rocks at his GG's house last weekend, picking some up and everything. :-) It's the little things right?

That said, when Daddy gave Tyler a PB&J sammich for supper the other night he wasn't surprised when Tyler started saying, "nakin, nakin," which is Tyler speak for napkin. So when Daddy gave him a napkin he thought he was going to wipe his mouth. Little did he know Tyler had bread and PB stuck to the roof of his mouth and didn't know what to do. So he opened his mouth and used his trusty napkin to scrape it off. ALL BETTER! :-)

Note to self: Serve PB&J's with PB on the bottom. hahaha...

Suddenly...

...my son is the smartest toddler on Earth! LoL...yeah, cuz I'm not partial or anything, but still! All of a sudden he is picking out letters and naming them and now Daddy has taught him types of trees! Last night they rode on the lawnmower (without the blade engaged, of course) and they were naming the types of trees.

Well, today we were outside and he looks at a tree and says, "pine tree."

I said, "No, that's not a pine tree."

Tyler simply said, "OH, maple."

LMAO!!!!! It wasn't a maple, but it still blew me away that he pulled it out!