Much better

Baby June did so much better today at her NST. The nurse even said "I love your baby", because her heartrate accelerations with her movements were so classsic. I was on the monitor for only about 15 mintues and then we were done! Yay!

Then I went to get our car emissions test done...waited for 45 minutes for the 30 cars in front of me to go, finally got tested, passed, then came home and updated our registration online (thank goodness I didn't have to go to the MVD!) for 2 years to a tune of $353!! Ouch! I sure do miss the $30 registration fees from when we lived in Oregon.

It was a good, productive day though!

I can't believe next week it will be February! There are so many things to look forward to in February:
Gem & Mineral Show
LOST
Arizona Renaissance Festival
Winter Olympics
Valentine's Day
Tucson Rodeo Days Parade
and that I will be due the next month!

Yay, for February!! :)

A funny top 10 post

The Top Ten Reasons Men Prefer Guns Over Women. (Courtesy of Facebook)

#10. You can trade an old 44 for a new 22.

#9. You can keep one gun at home and have another for when you are on the road.

#8. If you admire a friend's gun and tell him so, he will probably let you try it out a few times...

#7. Your primary gun does not mind if you keep another gun for backup.

#6. Your gun will stay with you even if you run out of ammo.

#5. A gun does not take up a lot of closet space.

#4. Guns function normally every day of the month.

#3. A gun does not ask, "Do these new grips make me look fat?"

#2. A gun does not mind if you go to sleep after you use it.

And the number one reason a gun is favored over a woman...

#1. YOU CAN BUY A SILENCER FOR A GUN.


Hardy har har... ;)

Not stellar

Well, today's appointments were not stellar.

At the NST baby girl was moving around quite a bit, but her heartrate was not accelerating with all of that movement. This is unusual. So we had to spend about 45min trying to get enough good movements with accelerations. She also had several short heart rate dips, which is new to this appointment, but nothing to worry about the nurse said. I haven't seen anything like these at the 2 prior NSTs we have had, so I am still gonna worry a bit. All I can say is that I am glad we will be having another NST on Friday to double check on her.

At the cervical length check it was immediately apparent that my cervix has shortened again. Her first measurement was 1.92cm, her second one was 2.4cm...both of which are much shorter than last week's measurement. She felt my cervix and thankfully it is still closed up nice and tight. She went on to say that if she was checking me out based on the feeling of my cervix alone, she wouldn't be worried at all...but the fact that my cervix had shortened so much in one week, made her a little nervous. She said that she still thinks that everything will be okay and I will be pg for at least another month, but she made sure to tell me that she was on-call this weekend in case I needed to get ahold of her. Yikes!

I asked her to double-check on June's position. She is still breech and facing toward my left side, so her head is on the upper right side. This was exactly how Lincoln was sitting for 3 months prior to when he finally flipped at 35 weeks. I really really hope that she will copy her brother in this, and flip before delivery.

So, next week the doctor will be doing another cervical length check, but first she will do a fetal fibronectin (fFN) test, which can tell you with pretty good accuracy if you are NOT going to go into labor in the next 2 weeks. If the test is negative, most likely you will not go into labor, if the test is positive, you may or may not go into labor within he next 2 weeks. So we will be hoping for a nice big fat negative test result next week. I will keep you all posted.

I am taking this all in stride, and am not really all that worried about June coming in the next few weeks. We have been here before with Lincoln, and I know that every pregnancy and baby is different so she could still surprise us. But if she did happen to be delivered now, we are in a pretty good place for a good outcome, healthwise. It wouldn't be ideal of course, but my twin sisters were born at 26 weeks with many many complications, but they both survived, and I was born at 34 weeks, and only spent 11 days in the nursery with no real complications. So a baby girl born at 31-32 weeks (who already received the steroid shots for lung development), would likely spend about a month in the NICU and special care nursery for feeding/growing and possibly breathing issues. Lets hope it doesn't come to this, but there could be worse things...

Weekly Weigh-In

Calories for the week were okay all in all, but each day was very variable. I guess that this is the normal nature of toddler eating habits, which is why everyone says to look at it on a weekly scale.

Jan 19: 1195 calories
Jan 20: 1520 calories
Jan 21: 1495 calories
Jan 22: 1273 calories
Jan 23: 1248 calories
Jan 24: 1270 calories
Jan 25: 1315 calories

Weekly Average: 1331 calories/day

We have been having a difficult time getting an accurate weight on Lincoln this week. He is such a wiggle-worm, and so large for the baby scales that it really just depends on the scale and his mood. At the Neuro. appt. on Friday their weight was 29lbs 15oz, at the pedi appt. Monday morning his weight was 28lbs 2oz, and yesterday evening we saw weights anywhere from 26lbs 14oz to 30lbs 3oz. I am choosing to believe that his actual weight is closer to the high 29s to low 30s. So I am just going to go with 30lbs. This is a weight gain of 5oz for the week! In other news, he is now 36.25" long! Which is 1.25" of growth since late-October! :)

My weight gain, is unfortuately much easier to read on the scale...I am now up 31.5lbs for this pregnancy. I am very close to weighing more than I ever have, even during Lincoln's pregnancy. I might cross that threshold this week, but I am hoping to put it off at least one more week...

Baby June should be weighing in at about 3 1/2lbs now. I have been feeling her wiggling, kicking, and getting hiccups several times a day now. It is so cool. I am really looking forward to meeting her in March, but I will definitely miss feeling her move from the inside. Tomorrow is our next OB appt. and NST. I will be sure to post an update when we get home.

The never ending cycle

Lincoln didn't have to get any shots at his 18mo check-up today! I was very relieved. There have only been 2 other appointments at the pediatrician's where he didn't have to get any shots; at 9 months, and 1 month old. The nurse weighed him in at 28.02, but I don't believe it. On Friday at the neurologist's he weighed 29.15, so to lose over a pound on the weekend...I don't think so! He didn't eat great this weekend, but he isn't sick, so I am certain that today's weight was off by at least a pound. Lincoln is measuring 36.25" long, which is 1.25" of growth in the past 3 months! Can you believe how tall he is now??

His next pediatrician appointment isn't until his 2 year check-up....6 months from now! The doctor said that Lincoln would only be getting 1 shot then, and that the next large group of shots isn't until he is 4 years old! I can't even imagine having a 4 year old! That just seems too far in the future to even comprehend!!

We talked a little bit about little sister coming in approximately 2 months. Our doctor will be checking up on her in the hospital the morning after she is born. Then we start the monthly, and every other month well-baby appointments with her. And probably once we get her appointments spaced out to every 6 months/yearly, then baby #3 will be arriving, etc, etc... It is a never ending cycle! Well, I guess that is not entirely true...it will end when we stop having children... ;)

Slideshow

I updated Lincoln's slideshow to the left!











<--------------------------------------------------

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Today's Appointments

The appointments today went well. First we had a neurologist appt. Mostly we just talked about what his seizures look like now, whether recent med. changes have made any real difference in the frequency or behavior of Lincoln's seizures (they haven't), and then discussed treatment options. He mentioned 2 more medications that we could try. The first being Bansil (sp?), that is supposed to treat tonic (stiffening) seizures. And then the other is something we have discussed in the past (I don't remember the name off of the top of my head), but it takes 4 months to get up to the effective dose. Unfortunately, it really does sound like we are running out of options when it comes to medications. I am hoping and praying to any and all deitys out there, that one of these last few meds will do the trick.

If not, we are looking at implementing the ketogenic diet. This one really scares me and makes me sad. Basically it is a starvation diet. It will cause him to stop growing, and he will need to be fed through a NG tube (a tube through his nose, into his stomach). The thought of going to these extremes makes me so sad. Lincoln just started to enjoy eating and drinking some foods, and he wouldnt be able to eat them anymore. Or feed himself at all, and you should see his face (check out the last video of him feeding himself fruit loops), he is so proud of himself when he does it. It is just so unnatural...and he would be on the diet for 2 years or longer! He has suffered so much in his life, I would hate to take away anything that he actually enjoys. The thought of it breaks my heart into a million little pieces. So I really really hope that we don't have to go down that road...

Then we went to baby June's NST. Everything there lookedd just fine. Today she was wiggling and moving around like a champ, so it didn't take long at all. More of the same next week, and the week after. :)

High Winds

Today it was very windy and stormy in Tucson, which is kind of a nice change from the sunny highs in the 70s kind of days. Lincoln seemed to agree, because he spent a good thirty minutes by the front door watching the wind gusts blow the trees outside, and telling me all about it through baby babble.

30 Weeks!

Picture comparisions...

30 weeks pregnant with Lincoln. Look at those fresh stretchmarks! Ouch!



This was 2 weeks ago, at 28 weeks pregnant with June.



This is today at 30 weeks pregnant with June. Ignore the box of diapers in the background. ;)



Here is a clothed belly shot from today at 30 weeks pregnant as well.

Status Quo

At my non-stress test (NST) today, baby June looked good. She slept through the first half and then after being shaken and buzzed she woke up and gave us some good movements.

As for my cervical length scan, the measurement came back at 2.95cm, so even slightly longer than a week ago. Yay! The doctor briefly considered changing me back to every other week, but then decided to keep them weekly until 32 weeks, just in case. Although she did say several times that she isn't really worried about me, and feels very strongly that I will get to 37 weeks (full-term) before delivery. Not a huge surprise, as this is exactly what happened with Lincoln's pregnancy as well. Lets hope that the status quo continues to hold. :)

Weekly Weigh-In

A good week!!

Jan 12th: 1320cal
Jan 13th: 1325cal
Jan 14th: 1395cal
Jan 15th: 1360cal
Jan 16th: 1160cal
Jan 17th: 1495cal
Jan 18th: 1330cal

Weekly Average: 1341 calories/week!! We did it!! :)

Lincoln's Weight: 29lbs 11oz!! Wahoo!! A gain of 11oz!

My Weight Gain: +30lbs (Eeek!) A gain of 1lb.

June's Weight: 2lbs 14oz (as of 1/13) -- probably the last weight estimate via ultrasound we will be getting, but she should be gaining about 6 oz a week.

No words, just so much pride

My 'someday' wishlists

Here is the bedding set that I really want to get for Lincoln when we decide that he is ready for a big-boy bed. We considered putting him in a twin bed prior to June's arrival, and then giving her the crib, but we decided that Lincoln is just not ready to be in a big boy bed, and that it is much safer for him to remain in his crib for as long as possible. So, it will probably be at least next Christmas, or maybe his 3-year birthday, before we consider buying this set again. But that doesn't stop me from loving it and being excited to see him enjoy his own furniture in his own room someday.

This is the toy that I am considering buying him for his 2 year birthday, or something similar to this anyway. We will see as we get closer to that age how he has developed. He may still not be walking or climbing at that point, so it may be Christmas, or next year before we buy this. But hopefully those skills won't be too far off in the future and he will be able to enjoy a fun outdoor toy like this someday.

Here is his "big brother" toy that I am probably going to buy him soon. I have read that people recommend buying a gift for the older sibling when a new baby arrives to take some of the focus and fuss off of the new baby. I am not certain how this thinking would apply to Lincoln, but I did think that this would be a good excuse to buy him something fun and hopefully spice up our daily walks. Even in stage one of this toy, I feel that he will be sitting up and more actively involved in his surrounding enviroment. Plus, having something fun to play with will hopefully encourage us to get outdoors, even after baby June arrives.

Now here are some little things that I would like to get for baby June. There isn't too much that you need to buy for a baby if you have already had one, but since she is a girl, and much of what we bought for Lincoln was boy gender specific, we would like to add just a few pink girly things. If anyone is looking for something to buy for baby June, and doesn't have any idea what to get, please check out this registry for ideas. I will be buying anything on this registry that hasn't already been bought by the beginning of March I am sure.

Like a broken record

Well, for my cervix at least. Today was my 29 week OB appointment. We started off by checking on June's growth to make sure that our dates are still accurate and that her size is what it should be. She was measuring ahead by several days with her arms and legs, her head was right on schedule, and her body was a little behind, but still totally normal. She tipped the scales at 2lbs 14oz. She is almost a 3 pounder already! So this is all good news! Dr. B got a look at her profile, and asked us who had the big nose... Ugh oh! Is she blessed with a big nose like many members of both of our families?? He he. Well, I am sure that she will still be the most beautious little girl to us and our families, no matter how she actually looks. ;)

Unfortunately, she is still sitting breech, which is no suprise based on where I am getting kicked all of the time. She has been in this position for the past several months, just like Lincoln was. I hope that she follows suit and flips in time for a vaginal delivery...

Now for the more worrisome news. My cervical check. My cervix was measuring at 2.3cm-2.8cm depending on the angle, and also appeared to have some slight funneling. I am not nearly as freaked out as I was with Lincoln at this same exact point in his pregnancy. But we are all being very cautious again. None of us want to see a 29-32 weeker. So, I will be getting the steroid shots tomorrow and the next day to help her lungs mature in case she does arrive early. Plus, I will be seeing my OB weekly for cervical checks, and will be getting twice weekly non-stress tests to monitor my contractions. The NSTs are something new to me as we didn't do those with Lincoln. I know I get quite a few contractions on a daily basis, but it will be interesting to see how many contractions I am having that I am not feeling.

Honestly, I am not particularly worried that June will be joining us before mid-Feb at the earliest (I hope I didn't just jinx us), but it never hurts to be cautious, just in case. This same exact thing happened with Lincoln and he was delivered at 37wks 5days and at a very healthy size/weight. My Dr. did say that this could just be something completely normal for my body, but again, because of what we have been through, she wants to do all we can to keep from adding a preemie into the mix.

The thing I am most worried about is scheduling and taking Lincoln to all of these appointments. I just went from one OB appt once a month, to 3 appointments per week! Plus Lincoln's specialist dr. appts are all coming up, and his weekly/bi-weekly therapies. Plus all of the time it takes to feed him, and all of the sleep he needs due to his seizures... Yay, mommydom! I guess I am getting a sneak peak at what it really means to be a soccer mom!

Anyway, despite the slight scare my cervix is providing us with (again). Like a broken record, I hope that the end of this pregnancy goes as smoothly as the end of Lincoln's did. Fingers crossed!

Weekly Weigh-In

Well the weekly weigh-in is back! I felt that despite teething issues going on with Lincoln, we had a pretty successful week!

Previous weeks calorie totals;
Dec 15th: 1332
Dec 16th: 1255
Dec 17th: 1030
Dec 18th: 1293
Dec 19th: 1343
Dec 20th: 1357
Dec 21st: 906
Weekly Average: 1217 cal/week

Dec 22nd: 1299
Dec 23rd: 701
Dec 24th: 496
Dec 25th: 1129
Dec 26th: 876
Dec 27th: 1084
Dec 28th: 1086
Weekly Average: 953 cal/week

Dec 29th: 1275
Dec 30th: 1293
Dec 31st: 1065
Jan 1st: 1128
Jan 2nd: 1213
Jan 3rd: 1125
Jan 4th: 825
Weekly Average: 1132 cal/week

Jan 5th: 1185
Jan 6th: 1408
Jan 7th: 1103
Jan 8th: 1294
Jan 9th: 1345
Jan 10th: 1330
Jan 11th: 1615
Weekly Average: 1326 cal/week

Lincoln's previous weight: 28lbs 5oz on Dec. 14th, and 28lbs 10oz on Jan 4th.
Lincoln's current weight: 29lbs even! A gain of 6oz in the past week!

My previous weight: +18.5 lbs on Dec. 14th
My current weight: +29lbs (yipes! too much holiday candy and home cooking, huh?)

June's previous weight: 1lb even on Nov. 25th
June's current weight: TBA on Jan. 13th.

Not to be forgotten

Since I have babies on the brain big time as I wait for my next OB appt., and as a friend of ours nears her due date, I just wanted to make a quick post to remember the one we lost in April of this year. Monday, Jan. 4th, was my due date for that little one, and since we were traveling that day I didn't get the chance to post about him/her until now.

We only knew about him or her for less than a week before we had the miscarriage. But that little baby inspired in us so much love, joy, and hope over that short time period, and he/she will never be forgotten.

28 weeks

I am 28 weeks pregnant. Full-term is considered anywhere from 37 weeks to 42 weeks, even though the average pregnancy is 40 weeks long. June's estimated due date is based on the average 40 week pregnancy, and is set for March 31st. Lincoln's due date was August 4th, and he arrived on July 19th, two and a half weeks early. So, I am kinda expecting for June to repeat her brother's performance and arrive a couple of weeks early as well, sometime mid-March. I do know that I will not go more than a couple of days past 40 weeks at most. My doctor, and I, are not comfortable with the increased risks associated with a pregnancy that continues past the 40 week mark. So all of that being said, and assuming there are no complications, I am very much expecting June to be coming in March.

Now for the belly pics.

Here I am a month ago, at 24 weeks pregnant.







And here I am today & last night, at 28 weeks pregnant.

I am already starting to get anxious for my 29 week appointment next Wednesday. It will have been 7 weeks since my last dr. appt. We will be having a growth ultrasound and a cervical length check. I am hoping to get a clean & normal bill of health for both of us...but who knows what curveballs are still left in store for this pregnancy. Afterall, we still have at least 9 weeks to go until she is considered "full-term".

Random Thoughts for the Day

This was sent to me by my mother, who got it from a friend of hers, etc, etc...
It is written from a guy's perspective, but can generally apply to everyone I think.

Interesting things that most of us guys would agree with.

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you are wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. Bad decisions make good stories.

10. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

11. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

12. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring, but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

13. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night, more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

Enjoy! :)

Happy New Year!

We arrived back in Tucson at 730 last night. The trip was a lot of fun. I think that Lincoln enjoyed his visit to the Oregon Coast Aquarium the best out of all of our many adventures. Unfortuately, both Andy and I forgot the camera, so we have no pictures of our own from the last 3 weeks. :( Hopefully some of our family will send us some of the ones they took.

All in all it was a great trip. Lincoln had some difficulty adjusting to the different beds, and all of the new faces, so he was even more clingy than usual. But Andy and I did manage to get some time away from him on our last night in Salem. We loved seeing and visiting with all of our family and friends, but it sure is nice to be home after such and extended time away. Lincoln was so excited that he didn't go to sleep until 2am, but he slept in until 1030! Poor Andy wasn't so lucky and had to go to work this morning at 7am. I bet he is dog tired right now...

Spending time away from home, and then coming back, I have been feeling some major nesting urges. Maybe because now that it is 2010, and I am in the 3rd trimester, and the fact of baby June coming is becoming much more real, it makes me feel that time to prepare for her is running out! So, my plan is to go through our house room by room throwing out junk, reorganizing, and cleaning. Strangely enough, I am really looking forward to it.

Anyways, next week is a big week for us. We will be doing another weekly weigh-in on Monday evening, and this will mark the weight changes that have occured over the past month. I am not expecting much because we had a really hard time keeping up with the high calorie diet while on vacation and traveling. Additionally, we will be having a growth ultrasound and cervical check on Wednesday for me and baby June to make sure that everything is going as should be. At this same time during Lincoln's pregnancy we had a scare as my cervix shortened dramatically. But in the end, we kept him in until he was full-term without any official bedrest being required. I hope that things will go the same or even better with baby June.

That's all for now! We had fun, but we are glad to be back! And we are looking forward to the next few eventful months ahead. Happy New Years everyone and welcome to 2010!