Happy Halloween from Minnie Mouse!!
Happy Halloween!!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
This morning, Wes, Emma and I headed out bright and early to join in on the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk for my late grandmother Julia (or as she was known to us...Muzzy). Today brought back so many good memories of Muzzy even though it was tough to participate at the same time. I would give anything to have Muzzy back and to have her meet and play with Emma (and soon to be Emma's little brother), but I know with my whole heart, that she is watching over all of us!
Muzzy had Alzheimer's.
It was one of the hardest things I have ever been through in my life, and I can't even imagine how hard it was for her two sons. To walk into a room and see someone that means the entire world to you, only to have them look back at you and not recognize you, or not be able to say your name because they don't know who you are, is absolutely heartbreaking. My heart goes out to anyone who has a friend or family member struggling with this disease, because it's almost unbearable. But luckily, there are events like the Memory Walk all over the country where we can participate and even if we only raise $200, that's $200 that goes towards hopefully finding a cure one day. The thought of Emma or her baby brother having to go through what my parents went through with Muzzy....I can't even begin to think about it.
Although it was really cold this morning, the sun was shining, the air was crisp and my baby was cuter than ever. :) She got so excited every time she saw a dog, she would scream outloud!!
Here she is getting ready to start the walk holding hands with her Daddy.
This is one of my new favorite pictures.:)
All bundled up and walking for our Muzzy!!
By the time we got in the car, Emma was frozen solid. :) But nothing like a little juice, two animal friends and a warm blanky to make you get warm and toasty again. :)
About 30 seconds later...she was fast asleep, maybe even dreaming about what her Muzzy was like. :)
Emma's Halloween Parade at Daycare!
Emma had her second Halloween Parade on Friday at daycare and it was even cuter than the first one! Last year, Wes and I spent most of the parade switching holding Emma trying to feed her a bottle at the same time. This year, Emma's class was all big enough to walk the whole thing!
For some reason, a lot of the pictures that we took ended up blurry (must have had the camera on a funny setting), but here are a few of the ones that turned out!
For some reason, a lot of the pictures that we took ended up blurry (must have had the camera on a funny setting), but here are a few of the ones that turned out!
Emma and one of her teacher's Ms. Holly!
Emma and Mommy ready for the parade!
Emma and Daddy ready for the parade! She wasn't very happy because she wanted to head outside!
Emma strutting her stuff!
Mommy's Little Helper
We are starting Emma out early with pulling her weight around the house. :) This is actually one of the few ways that Mommy can get any cleaning done when Emma is awake. If she doesn't "help", she makes more of a mess as I am cleaning!!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
...Emma was all ready for her first Halloween!!
A Scary Twist...
So normally during the week I think about all these different topics that I should be blogging about, like how Baby #2 is 18 Weeks old now and a bell pepper, about how I often times feel like I have lost my identity (still more to come on that one), how good Emma is doing with talking and tumblebees and how many questions are going through our minds about Baby #2, etc. Today, all of that stuff went right out the window with a scary twist from our ultrasound.
Remember this post From 0 to Panic In 3 Seconds Flat... from when we went in for a sonogram with Emma? Well, Baby #2 decided to throw us the same curve ball, but a little worse.
Wes and I were on pins and needles today heading into our sonogram appointment as this was the BIG one. Although we were going to find out if Baby #2 was a girl or boy, we were doing it a little bit different. We had the ultrasound technician write it on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope and we weren't going to open it until going to dinner tonight with Emma and my parents. I pretty much can't keep anything baby related from my mom for more than 30 seconds so although I had all these grand ideas of how I was going to tell her that we were expecting, it always came out immediately because I just couldn't wait. So this was a fun way we thought they could join in on the surprise. After the sonogram and waiting for a while in the waiting room, the technician popped her head out to let us know that "the genetic counselor would be right with us and wanted to talk about the sonogram results". Here we go again...from 0 to panic in 3 seconds flat.
I knew immediately that we were going to be told something that we didn't like the minute we sat down with the counselor. She was nervous, which made me nervous. The technician found a Choroid Plexus Cyst (CPC) in Baby #2's brain. You are probably thinking about how bad that sounds, which is exactly what we were thinking too. The short version is that the cyst itself is not harmful what-so-ever. It's nothing that has any effect on fetal development, but the scary part is that it is one of the markers that indicates a higher risk of Down Syndrome and Trisomy 13 and 18 chromosome abnormalities. The good news is that it was an isolated CPC (meaning that there were no other markers) so there is a high chance that it will go away on its own before the baby is born. But I am pretty sure that you can't mention the words Down Syndrome or Trisomy 13 and 18 to any expecting mother and have them not panic.
Basically, the CPC is a pocket of fluid that has developed in Baby #2's brain that is responsible for producing the cerebrospinal fluid. Choroid plexus cysts are seen during 1% to 3% of all mid-trimester prenatal ultrasound examinations. The good thing is that the results from my first trimester screening that specifically looks for markers of chromosome abnormalities (like Downs Syndrome and Trisomy 13/18) were normal and that my blood results didn't have any additional indications. So after that test, our chances of Baby #2 being born with Downs Syndrome were about 1 in 2,000, and the chances of Trisomy 13/18 were about 1 in 5,000. Because of the CPC, our chances are now still good, but about 50% greater, so we are now sitting at about a 1 in 1,000 chance of either. Again, those are still really good odds, but as a mom, you never EVER want to go that way on the scale.
If we wanted to, we could opt for an amniocentesis which is really one of the few actual tests for chromosome abnormalities. All of the other tests are more looking at markers to either increase or decrease the chances of the baby being born with a chromosome abnormality. However, the amniocentesis comes with its own risks. The genetic counselor said that there is a 1 in 200 risk of miscarriage from the amniocentesis, so given that we are still around a 1 in 1,000 chance for Downs or Trisomy 13/18, we don't think its worth the risk at this point.
We are scheduled for a follow up sonogram in 4 weeks to keep an eye on the CPC and we will go from there. They also detected that I have a heart arrhythmia during the sonogram as well. That was news to me! I have a call into my doctor to get scheduled for an EKG to check things out with that as well.
So, all in all, a very emotional day! Wes and I are focusing on the good news though. Baby #2 weighs about a half of a pound and was measuring right on track. There are no other markers for any chromosome abnormality other than this CPC, and so the highest possibility is that it means nothing and will go away on its own. And...we get to open our envelope in about an hour so stay tuned to find out if Emma is going to have a baby sister or baby brother!!!
Remember this post From 0 to Panic In 3 Seconds Flat... from when we went in for a sonogram with Emma? Well, Baby #2 decided to throw us the same curve ball, but a little worse.
Wes and I were on pins and needles today heading into our sonogram appointment as this was the BIG one. Although we were going to find out if Baby #2 was a girl or boy, we were doing it a little bit different. We had the ultrasound technician write it on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope and we weren't going to open it until going to dinner tonight with Emma and my parents. I pretty much can't keep anything baby related from my mom for more than 30 seconds so although I had all these grand ideas of how I was going to tell her that we were expecting, it always came out immediately because I just couldn't wait. So this was a fun way we thought they could join in on the surprise. After the sonogram and waiting for a while in the waiting room, the technician popped her head out to let us know that "the genetic counselor would be right with us and wanted to talk about the sonogram results". Here we go again...from 0 to panic in 3 seconds flat.
I knew immediately that we were going to be told something that we didn't like the minute we sat down with the counselor. She was nervous, which made me nervous. The technician found a Choroid Plexus Cyst (CPC) in Baby #2's brain. You are probably thinking about how bad that sounds, which is exactly what we were thinking too. The short version is that the cyst itself is not harmful what-so-ever. It's nothing that has any effect on fetal development, but the scary part is that it is one of the markers that indicates a higher risk of Down Syndrome and Trisomy 13 and 18 chromosome abnormalities. The good news is that it was an isolated CPC (meaning that there were no other markers) so there is a high chance that it will go away on its own before the baby is born. But I am pretty sure that you can't mention the words Down Syndrome or Trisomy 13 and 18 to any expecting mother and have them not panic.
Basically, the CPC is a pocket of fluid that has developed in Baby #2's brain that is responsible for producing the cerebrospinal fluid. Choroid plexus cysts are seen during 1% to 3% of all mid-trimester prenatal ultrasound examinations. The good thing is that the results from my first trimester screening that specifically looks for markers of chromosome abnormalities (like Downs Syndrome and Trisomy 13/18) were normal and that my blood results didn't have any additional indications. So after that test, our chances of Baby #2 being born with Downs Syndrome were about 1 in 2,000, and the chances of Trisomy 13/18 were about 1 in 5,000. Because of the CPC, our chances are now still good, but about 50% greater, so we are now sitting at about a 1 in 1,000 chance of either. Again, those are still really good odds, but as a mom, you never EVER want to go that way on the scale.
If we wanted to, we could opt for an amniocentesis which is really one of the few actual tests for chromosome abnormalities. All of the other tests are more looking at markers to either increase or decrease the chances of the baby being born with a chromosome abnormality. However, the amniocentesis comes with its own risks. The genetic counselor said that there is a 1 in 200 risk of miscarriage from the amniocentesis, so given that we are still around a 1 in 1,000 chance for Downs or Trisomy 13/18, we don't think its worth the risk at this point.
We are scheduled for a follow up sonogram in 4 weeks to keep an eye on the CPC and we will go from there. They also detected that I have a heart arrhythmia during the sonogram as well. That was news to me! I have a call into my doctor to get scheduled for an EKG to check things out with that as well.
So, all in all, a very emotional day! Wes and I are focusing on the good news though. Baby #2 weighs about a half of a pound and was measuring right on track. There are no other markers for any chromosome abnormality other than this CPC, and so the highest possibility is that it means nothing and will go away on its own. And...we get to open our envelope in about an hour so stay tuned to find out if Emma is going to have a baby sister or baby brother!!!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Well! Baby #2 just hit the 16 Weeks mark which makes us 4 months pregnant as of yesterday!! I know I have been once again failing miserably with updating the blog, but stay tuned for a big post on why...and what I have been struggling with lately. But first....Baby #2 news!!
I had my regular doctor's appointment earlier this week and so far Baby #2 is looking great! The heartbeat checked out A-Okay once again and the doctor estimated it to be in the 160s. The Doppler that he uses for the quick heartbeat checks every 4 weeks doesn't provide a number, but he hears those little heartbeats all day long so I am assuming he knows his beats. :)
Our first trimester screening went well! All of the results were normal and we have a decreased chance of Baby #2 having Downs Syndrome or Trisomy 13/18. I had more blood drawn this week which will test for likelihood of Spina Bifida so fingers crossed those results are normal as well.
How is Baby #2 Growing: Get ready for a growth spurt!! In the next few weeks, Baby #2 will double his/her weight and add inches to length. Right now, he or she is about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His/Her legs are much more developed, his/her head is more erect than it has been, and the eyes have moved closer to the front of his/her head. The patterning of his/her scalp has begun, though his/her locks aren't recognizable yet. Baby #2 has even started growing toenails! There's a lot happening inside as well. For example, Baby #2's heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as he/she develops.
I have been feeling better by the day, although I am still struggling with being exhausted. It is a rare night where I am awake past 9:00PM and if so, it usually means that I took a nap on the couch around 8:00PM. :) The morning sickness has been gone for a little while now but its the exhaustion that is lingering for a while longer.
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