bun is growing

a much requested belly picture... 26 weeks along!

more to come soon.

APRIL SHOWERS!

This past weekend, I made my way to Tallahassee for my first baby shower. The wonderful people I worked with in the PICU down in Florida, threw me a spring themed gathering. We had a great time and the bun and I got some wonderful items!

Tiffany! The hostess with the mostest! She had just been sick with mono and still managed to throw me a beautiful baby shower, cooking and decorating almost everything herself!
One of the funniest gifts ever! I can't wait until baby fox is big enough to fit in this! Well, I can wait, but still... it is way funny!
Little bun is trying to show him/herself here! You just have to look hard :)
Delicious birdhouse cake! Made with love by Tiffany's sister, Tess. So cute!
Diaper cake! made by yours truly, and of course, Tiffany. So cute and so useful!

A great weekend filled with great friends. Also, I got to go to church and see all the wonderful people there. Tallahassee holds happy memories for us and it will always be a special place we will remember fondly!

realizations

yesterday, while standing in the target isle with the ever-so-impressive scanner in my hand, i had a minor freak out about what we are about to endeavor. it costs $250.00 for a breast pump (and 50 cents for each bag to hold the milk), $250.00 for a crib (not including the mattress), $180.00 for a swing, $150.00 for a car seat, an additional $100.00 for the stroller adaptor. If you're thinking of running, add $350.00 for a jogging stroller (and that's not even the top of the line). Each pacifier costs 3.00 and each little onesie, the same. Don't even get me started on diapers... ouch. i think i have some chest pain. and these are only the monetary stressors.

i look at my patients at work and think: really? You were at mass with your parents, choked on a rosary bead and now...... You put an ipod charger in your mouth and lost your tongue? i am locking my kid in a clear ball for its entire life-- assuming all comes out okay. how on earth do we think we can do this?

yikes. while i am feeling better today, i am certain these freak outs will increase in number as the due date approaches. yippy.

Little bun was only slightly more cooperative today, but the tech was able to get all the pictures she needed to clear the spine, etc. The high risk obstetrician told us that she couldn't officially say the baby didn't have Trisomy 18 without doing karyotyping, but she said the risks associated with an amniocentesis were higher than the probability of this baby having major defects. She also said that these babies only have a 5% increased risk of being small compared to those with normal umbilical cords. She said if she were in my shoes, she would not do any other testing. We are going to have an ultrasound at 32 weeks and hopefully baby will look good and we can push to the end with our regular obstetrician. Keep your fingers crossed for a big fat 39 weeker! Thanks to everyone for the prayers and encouragement. God is good.

baby!

a few pictures of the little one:

FOOT- all 5 toes present!
PROFILE- see how unclear? baby would not hold still. he/she was doing frequent front and back flips!
waving HI! or saying "let me out!"

Having an intern husband has one benefit... printing ultrasound reports. I blame the ultrasonographer completely for my freak out. Yes, there is some concern with a 2 vessel cord, but the likelihood of this baby having trisomy 18 or other congenital anomalies is very low. However, the only thing that was said to me in the room was "there is only a 2 vessel cord, this is associated with trisomy 18. and by the way, we are short on rooms, so you are going to have to wait for the doctor to call you to get the results of your ultrasound."

The report showed that the baby was in the 60th percentile by weight and height. All measurements of all organs and internal structures were normal. They were unable to get a great picture of the spine but there was skin on the outside of the vertebral column. Same plan as before. I will require an extra battery of tests throughout this pregnancy, but hopefully the little bun is growing and developing as he/she should and will continue to do so.

Thank you to everyone for the prayers. Please keep them up, the risks for a small or stillborn baby are increased compared to a fetus with a normal umbilical cord.

update

I had my 20 week ultrasound today and the results weren't quite as good as we had hoped for. The baby was dancing all over the place and what should take about 45 minutes, ended up taking almost 2 hours. The baby's umbilical cord only has 1 artery in it and it should have 2. This can mean nothing, but frequently it is associated with congenital anomalies, low birth weight, and fetal demise. They were also unable to completely visualize the spinal cord, that will also require extra testing to verify closure and rule out abnormality. Please keep little baby fox in your prayers. I will meet with the high risk obstetrician for additional testing and ultrasonography. As soon as we know more, I will post updates. Thanks all.