HALF-WAY THERE!

Well, for a normal pregnancy that is! We know we at least won't go past week 39--a day or so after Landon's birthday. Today, Saturday, I am officially 20 weeks & 3 days. So that leaves about 18 weeks & 4 days?

Everything on Baby Girl #2 measured  right on track! She hid her face and heart for a long time, and she had to keep going back to try to see it. Finally, after laying on my left side, she peeked out and was in a position to check the heart. She showed us that she was a girl almost as soon as the thing ( what is that called?) touched my belly. Luke and I both saw the 3 lines, but she said she was going to measure everything else and then come back to the gender. At one point when she was measuring a leg, we both thought we saw a boy part, so then we were confused. ( We discussed this all in the Dr office waiting room after). Then when it came time to look for the gender , she kept shaking my belly and saying she was trying to get good open legs. But we both knew we had already seen the 3 lines a few times, so she really confused us! Finally she said Ok, I'm pretty sure we see it, and I told her Yeah, I think there are definitely 3 lines before she said Baby Girl. After she finally got a good view of the face and heart, we headed across the hall to see the doctor. Everything is great with me. I'm rocking a blood pressure of like 117/62, gaining weight on track ( I think?) 7 pounds, and have no protein in the urine. We didn't really have to discuss much with the doctor since we just had the ultrasound and everything looks good. He joked on us for calling her Baby girl #2, and likes to tell stories of friends or family friends, but no 'sick talk' or 'worries' to discuss. I've said before that Pre-e is really unpredictable, besides knowing that it most likely will happen at some point. We probably still have quite a while to go before it hits( if it does!), but we will be happy when we get about 5 more weeks in. My next visit is in about a month, and then we will see how often I will go back in, and how often they will check on baby girl#2 --from previous Oligo with Landon & the few other things Lucy had going on.

We don't have a name yet. We had a boy name, I really wanted my Beckett. Maybe a dog one day. . . or not. Throw suggestions at us on here or facebook!

We have plenty of other things to work on and accomplish BEFORE we think about buying baby stuff for the room. That's because she doesn't have a room! We still don't know where we will move in about 6-8 weeks. We went and looked at one possibly to rent this week, and I think are going to look at another this weekend. After that, we will also know if we have 3 or 4 bedrooms, and will be able to think more about this baby's room.

Sugar and spice

And everything nice,

That's what little girls are made of.

What's going on?

A lot! That is what is going on around here. Luke has a very very busy schedule this week and next. He has been working his regular hours ( which have consisted of at least 15 hours days, because his new store is not up to par), and also some overnights along with his regular hours. He worked an overnight once when we were in Orlando without him, one last week, and then he went back in Saturday night after coming home for a few hours. They have inventory this week. That is usually a long process leading up to the one day, but it is apparently overwhelming because his store has not been taken care of at all. He told us he would be working a lot this week, &  I told him I thought 15 hours was already a lot :/ So he won't be around much this week. Then the Southern Division President comes back next week. She was here a few weeks ago on a surprise visit, and it was NOT good. We were unsure about Luke still having a job once she left. After all this is done, he will have a week of vacation. We also have our 20 week appointment and ultrasound this week. Here is a 19 week picture:

Lucy hopped in too! We were heading out to eat dinner with Luke before he went back to work. Landon was at the farm with his Nana and Poppy. Unfortunately, she whined the whole time and was up all night with a fever. She's has been napping for about 3 hours now today, and is stll fighting it off. I have finally felt some little kicks.And all of a sudden this week, I'm HUNGRY! I can't eat much without feeling full up to this point, but I bought some tutrle cookies to make after we had pizza Sunday night, and ate 3 =(  I'm HUNGRY like all of a sudden all the time! I had gained 4 pounds at my 16 week appointment, but I have a feeling I'll tip the scales at my 20 week!

Our lease also runs up in September, so we will be starting to pack everything up very shortly. We don't have a house to move into yet. We've looked all over different parts of Louisville--houses, apartments, town homes, rental or for sale. Hopefully we will figure it out soon. This house is just too big, and costs too much for us right now. Our renter did say she wanted to stay in our LaVergne house, so we don't have to worry about finding another tenant for that! Before we move, I will have gone back for my 24 week appointment. AND I think our lease runs up RIGHT as I will hit 28 weeks. So, hhmmm  I wonder if I will have to do all the unpacking or get out of it if my BP has stared to rise? This will be different! We will also have to get a different car once baby comes. We love the nitro, but it is too narrow in the back for 3 car seats. We were about to purchase one in June, but we decided to wait until September, once we get some more milestones under us.

I'm not sure what my Dr. visit schedule will look like from here on out. We have a few questions to ask this week when we go. Still no definite names for baby either. Lucy also had her 18 month well visit--a little late, closer to 19 months. I saved a chart on the computer, and tried to plot her growth. I didn't do the best job with the plots, but you can still see.

The top chart is her head circumference, and the top of the second is height, followed by weight. We are on the charts in ALL THREE! Height was on the chart at 15 months, and head hit the charts right around 6 months. Her head was right around 50% about 10 months, and has quickly gone almost off the charts. Her Dr. did say if it continued to grow as quickly by the next visit, then we would need to look into it. Her head is larger than Landon's at this point, she is about 10 pounds lighter, and 9 inches shorter. There are some large heads on Luke's family side, so it could just be that, and it just grew very quickly all of a sudden I swithched her to a different doctor in the practice, so we went over everything from birth until now. He just kept saying over and over how amazed he was with her progress, and he'd never know she was a 29 weeker. That also led into the discussion of me being 16 weeks along. We talked about the doctor I am seeing and everything we'd found out since her birth about my health. He also made sure to ask me if I was doing OK emotionally, getting breaks from the kids ( Landon was off the wall during the appointment), and making sure I am doing what I need for help along with taking care of Lucy's development and Landon being 3.He told me several times he'd keep us in his prayers, and let him know of anything at all that we needed. I miss our pediatrician in Nashville A LOT! But he made me feel much more comfortable going into another pregnancy. He sat and talked and showed concern and care and love towards my children and me. He wasn't just in and out, and then charge me a *sick entity* while discussing my child's progress. That's another story--and why I switched her to see another doctor.
We will be busy for the next couple of months, and then HOPEFULLY it will slow down in fall before the baby comes! I might post again when we find out the gender this week!

To the beach and back!

My last post was FINALLY about our last day at WDW, and now we've already been back to Orlando again. My aunt her her little baby #3 ( Stella) about 3 weeks ago, so we had to go see her. We also didn't get to spend much time with family during WDW trip, so we stayed with my grandparents & visited family.



Sweet sleepy baby



Before we went I had my 16 week Dr appointment. Blood pressure is still great--as expected. All of the blood work and ultrasounds have come back negative for Trisomy 13 & 18 , down syndrome, and Spina Bifida. So, we are set for July 27th for the full anomaly ultrasound. We're praying for a nicely progressing baby, all body parts to be developed where they should be, and a healthy strong heartbeat! I'm not quite sure if I want to know yet if baby is a boy or girl! Luke will see, but he might end up telling me later.

The belly is growing, the pelvis constantly feels out of place--until it loudly pops--, the headaches are ridiculous, and the bathroom visits are out of control. Maybe I'm drinking more this time around, because I never had to go to the bathroom ALL THE TIME with the other two like all moms talk about. I had a little dehydration day a few weeks ago and had to stay in bed all day, drink water, and sleep.

I'm trying not to think about an early delivery--early as in only 10 more weeks of pregnancy like Lucy--, but am keeping in mind that Pre-eclampsia is ugly and can strike at any time. Every day past October 1st, we will count as a blessing! We know the latest we will carry this baby will be until December 5th @ 39 weeks. Yep, 1 day after Landon's birthday :)

We do NOT have a name decided on. We did not pick 'L' names with the kids, we just liked 2 names that started with he same letter. So, this baby will most likely not have an 'L' name. I don't really like any L names right now. We have a boy named picked out, and have loved it since Landon was born too. I had a girl name I liked, but it is ALL over the place now. And I really thought I was going to be like the only one with a kid that name. We still have a while to get it figured out!

Rewind--Disney , last day

We spent the last day at Magic Kingdom.But first we started with breakfast at a pretty cool resort ( I think it was the Beach Club) that I'd LOVE to stay at!

We headed back into the car --we skipped the buses this day-- and drove up to the Magic Kingdom. We pulled the stroller onto Main Street right as Buzz & Jesse in the parade. We headed straight over to see Mickey & Minnie with about a 15 minute wait, & got some Fast Pass tickets to see the Princesses later.

Lucy shook, but she walked up to Mickey and tried to make herself hug him.

We went over to get a FastPass to the Buzz ride ,ride the People Mover, and wait in line to see Buzz Lightyear .

It was time to see the Princesses.

 Landon was proud to show off his 'Baby Sister Lucy' to each one.

It was time to head back to the Buzz Lightyear ride.

We rode the last 2-3 things in Fantasy Land (because it's all under construction), while getting pretty wet from more rain. It was time to head back to the hotel, & we had planned to come back

for fireworks on the last night!

But the rain never let up, nor did the thunder & lightning. We were soaked by the time we got back. I don't remember what we did really that night besides change out of soaked clothes, and eat dinner at the hotel.

In the morning we ate breakfast at the hotel, and finally showed Landon the Toy Story part of the hotel.

WE planned on swimming before we left since it was the only sunny part of the trip basically, but Landon was NOT in a good mood, and we decided to just head back to my grandparents.

We loved our trip! We have in mind what we will do different next time, but definitely plan to return! Landon still asks every day if we are going to Disney.

HOLY MOLY

Yep, 17 weeks into baby #3( well, Wednesday will be 17). If you know us well, you know we went through over a year of fertility and insemination with both other kiddos. You also know Lucy was born at 29 weeks and 5 days and spent 53 days in the NICU. You might also remember she came due to my sudden PIH,Pre- eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, & seizure. With those factors added together, we had decided we had taken enough chances, been pushed to our limits mentally, gotten as far as we ever wanted my body to go before stroke or brain damage or death, and just did not want to risk anything else with future pregnancies. Or at least we weren't ready to deal with it all yet. The anxiety and stress and depression is still all very fresh. I told my doctor in Nashville that I didn't think I'd be able to mentally handle another pregnancy. I had no idea what was going to happen, even the following 24 hours after surgery up until I had my seizure and the room was packed with doctors and nurses, I did not know the risks of what was going on. I know now. I know how close we got. I know what could possibly happen. I know that I am considered very high risk. I know that there is a great chance of things happening again. He looked at me and nodded and shook his head and assured me that THAT would just be the beginning of my worries--the mental part.

We didn't find out until I was about 6ish weeks along. If you've ever had an unplanned pregnancy, it's rough. It's completely opposite of what we've ever dealt with. If you're going through infertility or can't conceive, you might not want to read this.

We aren't ungrateful for this gift. We thought maybe 5 years down the road, we'd THINK about it. I didn't really know if it would get past thinking. I had a very difficult time when I had her thinking my chances were taken away. It wasn't fair. Why was it chosen for me that I couldn't have more kids? I wanted to be able to make that choice. One of the first High Risk Doctors that came in the following days sat down on my bed first thing and said " I just want you to know this doesn't mean you can't ever have more kids". But to me, there was NO question. I had a 2 pound baby. the worries and fears for her life were overwhelming, and I was not even thinking about her at the time because I had no clue what her chances even were. My mind was racing over what these doctors kept telling me. They had been worried about brain damage from the seizure and oxygen loss. They at one point weren't sure I'd ever pull that mask off my face & talk to them. They had no clue why things happened the way they did.

If the pregnancy hadn't happened this way, we might not have a baby #3. We ARE thankful. We ARE blessed. We have an opportunity to do something 3 times that some never get to do.We are also beyond scared.

I think most of the family knows by now. I honestly haven't been too excited to tell anyone. I'm trying not to think too much about it because thinking causes worry with me.I wasn't ready for the 'congratulations' because I felt like this was a death sentence. I realized at 16 weeks that not too many people knew, and I could be half way through already. I am at a high risk doctor right now. We feel very comfortable with him, and we spent several hours with him during the first visit discussing the pregnancy.

What we know:

I had PIH with both pregnancies. My blood pressure did not go down as soon as I had Landon. There was a little bit of worry, and I remember I stayed in recovery for about 4-5 hours. Landon was delivered emergency c-section at 38 weeks due to oligo. He was IUGR--hence 5 pounds 10 ounces.

My PIH turned into Early Onset Pre-eclampsia with Lucy. I have all my records from my doctor, and at my 28 week appointment for Lucy my blood pressure was about 112/76.

My Pre-E made a bad turn for HELLP. When I arrived at the hospital for Lucy, my BP was 167/110, and it didn't peak until after my seizure.My liver enzymes were extremely high, the liver pain was awful, but my plaelets weren't too bad yet. They also peaked a day or so after the seizure. 

My pre-e turned in Eclampsia--seizure.

Having pre-eclampsia itself is not too high of a number, and the chances of it turning severe, and then HELLP are even smaller. Even with my blood tests, there is no reason as to why it all happened. There is also no way of knowing what will happen this time. My doctor has said I could carry full term and schedule a c-section, or it could be the complete opposite. So, as of now, the goal is to make it to 24 weeks! And he said after we get that far, we all know how great a 29 week baby can turn out! I did proceed to ask him at what week he schedules the c-sections. He laughed. He said we have to be realistic, but it would be at 39 weeks. The chances are low, very low that we will go that long. But hey, the chances of pregnancy were very low ( I have the papers saying it!), the chances of pre-e, eclampsia, and hellp with a 2nd baby with the same father, and no lupus were VERY low too.

All of this to say we are having another baby. We are very excited for a new life. We are thankful for the blessing! We are thankful we were chosen to raise 3. We need prayers. We need prayers for this tiny baby to keep growing. Mommy can't help what will happen, and Mommy can't pick if and when my BP will go up. There is nothing we can do, but wait. Mommy also can't stand the thought of her baby having to go through months of not living at home with wires and tubes. Mommy also doesn't want to think about the % of things that are higher for NICU babies. Mommy doesn't want to go through  depression again.We need prayers for peace.It has been a rough 4 months emotionally. We might finally be at a happy point. I only start to worry when I feel sick. I know that whenever we have this baby--most likely will be due to pre-e-- my mind will race & I will go crazy thinking about what might happen in the next 2 days. I know there is probably a select few people who could understand my worries and fears--women who went through it and got pregnant again. Very slim amount of people. I know that the family who was with me somewhat understand, but it is from a different viewpoint.

I check my blood pressure daily, even though there is no reason it should be up yet. I will be monitored closely, and the doctors and nurses will do all they can to get my baby out before my body decides to do anything it shouldn't again!  We will keep updating as the weeks go on, and hopefully will still be updating when we schedule that c-section at 39 weeks!

PS

YES , I had already been to my first appointment and was a little past 8 weeks during the Half marathon. That was another reason why I hadn't ran in a month--I was so worn out and tired! This was on top of the bronchitis and asthma issues.I had not run more than 10 miles. I am fully using this as an excuse for my jog/walk slow time! I am already NOT looking forward to half marathon #3, even though that seems to be the only thing to cut that baby weight off of me!

And NO, all of those stomach viruses I had were NOT morning sickness. Those were all before, and I really did get sick A LOT and throw up a lot in the late winter. I did not throw up with any of my 3 pregnancies......so far.

YES, I plan on getting a tubal while they are out and in my doctor's hands.
My pelvic bones are already popping every time I stand up. Haven't gotten stuck yet, but this was always the most uncomfortable part of pregnancy for me. Yay!