23 Weeks

Goodness, how time flies :).  I'm 23 weeks now and feeling pretty great.  This week has been a challenging one, but we have had such an overwhelming response of prayers and encouragement that I can't help but feel loved and blessed :).  Thank you to everyone who has been there for us!  We sincerely appreciate all of you and are so thankful for you.  I could go on and on, but that would be repetitive, so thank you from the bottom of our hearts :).  After receiving numerous comments on the blog, on facebook, getting email and facebook messages, text messages, phonecalls, and face-to-face encouragement, we are very uplifted and encouraged.  We also feel a great sense of peace about everything and, with God's help, are ready to tackle anything that comes our way. 

As most of you know, Monday was our last ultrasound and you can read all the details about that in my last post.  Jason and I prayed about everything we were told and by Tuesday evening, I was feeling great... I wasn't worried or panicked anymore and just felt full of love and joy :).  I love our baby more than ever before and can't wait to hold and love on him!

I have been feeling him move and kick a LOT this week.  I don't really have a sense of his sleep schedule yet (apparently that's one of the things I'm supposed to notice eventually), but I'm definitely aware of when he's awake :).  He moves and kicks almost constantly, but it's one of the best feelings ever.  I keep touching my tummy, hoping to feel it on the outside, because I really want Jason to be able to share the experience with me.  Usually as soon as I touch my tummy, he stops kicking.  Stubborn little guy... yes, he's definitely my son! :P  Anyway, I'm hoping that VERY soon Jason will be able to feel it as well :).

I got an email this week saying that my uterus is the size of a soccer ball and I laughed.  The emails try to portray everything in a positive light, which is fine, but I don't know how I'm supposed to get excited about that fact :).  I just think it's funny.  I feel like they want me to respond with a big "YAY!" :)

I've been over my head cold this week, which is great because I can breathe better which means better sleep.  I have started to get some heartburn when I go to bed, though.  Luckily, I've been able to knock it down with a couple of Tums and I'm good-to-go.  I think the baby's main job from here on out is to gain weight and I definitely feel like he's working on that already!  A couple of days this week I was pretty tired and just felt like I was dragging at work and I told Jason I felt very "top heavy".  I need to start doing back stretches and really paying attention to my posture, because he's just going to get bigger and heavier!  I'm up to the challenge, though :).

I guess that's about it for now... here are the development details for the week:

• Your baby continues to grow and develop inside of you. He is now about the size of a mango (HA, yeah right!), measuring approximately 11 inches long and weighing about 1 pound. In the coming weeks, your baby will continue to grow and mature at a fast rate, gaining about 6 ounces of weight a week. By week 23, the blood vessels in his lungs, important for breathing outside the womb, are developing. His lips are becoming more distinct and his eyes continue to develop, though they still lack color. Also, by this week, the bones in his middle ear start to harden.
• His skin is still wrinkled but the pigments that will give his skin color are currently being deposited.

Oh!  I forgot to mention that since he can hear sounds now, I've been humming and singing to him a lot :).  It calms me down a little and I want him to know his momma's voice right away :). 

As a parting note, I would like to request your prayers for our next appointment.  We go in on Monday afternoon at 2:00 for the echo ultrasound and amniocentesis.  I'm at peace with whatever results we get, but I'm slightly nervous/anxious about the amnio procedure itself.  Please pray that the baby will cooperate and that there will be ZERO side effects or risks.  Please pray for the baby's heart... that the hole will close completely.  Finally, please pray for Jason and I.  We're trusting in God for a healthy baby and clear results, but your prayers are invaluable.  We love you all!  I'll try to post an update as soon as I can after our appointment.

Ultrasound #2

What a day.  Now that my emotions are under control, I'll post about my ultrasound this afternoon.  I went in at 3:40 (appt was at 4) and sat in the waiting room until 5:10... ugh.  The nurse's assistant finally brought me back to the ultrasound room and started looking at the baby.  He was very cooperative this time... good boy! :)  She took all the measurements again and he is measuring 22 weeks 5 days.  I'm 22 weeks 3 days today, so he's right on track.  Also, he's weighing in at 1 pound 2 ounces... he's a big'un!  She only printed off one picture for me, his profile, but he's so cute I just can't get enough of those pictures :).

She then had the doctor come in and he did the same thing.  He checked all the organs and took measurements and confirmed that the umbilical cord only has 2 vessels.  While this is fairly normal, he said that it can be a signal of kidney or heart problems.  He also said that because of the 2 vessels, they will need to monitor his growth throughout the pregnancy to make sure he's growing properly.  The kidneys looked fine, but the heart was a slightly different story.  He said there's a small hole in the heart, which he called VSD.  Also, the heart is positioned more toward the center of the chest than to the left, which is where it should be.  Finally, he said the arteries in the heart are backward or opposite of where they should be.  I don't think they're pumping incorrectly or anything, but they're backward.  He didn't make it sound like any of these issues were huge concerns, but he wants me to come back in for another ultrasound next Monday.  His partner at the practice is a cardio specialist and he wants her to be there to look at baby's heart.  He also wants to do an amniocentesis, which I am a bit scared about.  I've refused all screenings up to this point, including the amnio, but he said he wants to check for/rule out any chromosomal defects, which could be the cause of his heart issues. 

Even though he told me all of these things, I just sat there thinking "no... no... no" and praying.  I still believe that God is bigger than any defect and that He is THE healer.  I'm praying for a healthy baby with a strong, functioning heart.  It's amazing how, as a pregnant woman, you can feel so connected to your little one even before meeting him/her.  As soon as I left the doctor's office, I started praying and couldn't help but cry.  I love this little guy and will do anything I can to keep him safe.  Like I said, I'm praying for a completely healthy baby... and I know that no matter what happens, God is always in control and He is Lord.

Please pray with me for baby Logan (yep, we're pretty sure that's his name), for health and for amazing results next week :). 

22 Weeks

This week has been pretty crazy.  I’m feeling pretty good, but my sleep schedule has been way off.  We got home from Oregon at 3am on Tuesday, I went to work on Wednesday and Thursday, Jason had an all-night LAN (videogame) party Thursday night, and then we stayed up until 2am for New Year’s Eve.  I didn’t stay up all night for Jason’s party, but it was slightly difficult to sleep with 10 guys situated around the house, yelling and laughing.  I stayed at the house willingly, though, so I can’t really complain.  When I was asleep, I slept like a log.  It was just hard to get back to sleep if I ever woke up.  Anyway, I think I’m getting closer to being back on a normal schedule. 

My hips aren’t hurting as bad while I sleep, which is nice.  A couple of nights this week it was a different story, but for the majority of the nights it has lightened up a bit.  I really do think that my Snoogle pillow helps me get through the night and Jason has started trying to snuggle with it occasionally (until he gets caught).

I’ve been feeling the baby move more and more this week and I don’t mind at all J.  It’s such a great feeling.  I’m trying to see if I can recognize his sleep patterns, but I think it’s still just a little too early for that.  He does seem to get excited when it’s time for us to go to bed, which kind-of scares me because I’m sure the same thing will happen after he’s born.  I guess I’d better get used to it now.

I went to Target the other day for some groceries and I found myself over in the baby section.  I couldn’t help but buy 3 things… they were all on clearance!  I got a crib sheet, a blanket (so soft!), and a set of 3 bibs.  I’m doing ok at avoiding the clothes, because everybody seems to love buying clothes for showers.  I’m trying to contain myself.

I have another ultrasound this afternoon so that they can get a better picture of the heart and umbilical cord.  Please be praying that the little man cooperates this time!  I certainly don’t mind seeing him again, but I want them to be able to confirm that he’s 100% healthy.

Jason and I are still thinking about names… our favorite first name so far is Logan, but we’re still undecided on middle names.  We have a couple of ideas, but I don’t think we’re ready to announce anything official yet.

And now on to the development details for the week:

• Your baby continues to grow and develop inside of you. He is now about the size of a small banana, measuring roughly 7 1/2 inches long from head to rump and can weigh up to 12 ounces. In the coming weeks, your baby will continue to grow and mature at a fast rate.
• By week 22, his pancreas, a key player in hormone production, is developing steadily. His skin may appear wrinkled at this point, but in the coming weeks, he will be gaining enough weight to fill it out.
• His eyes have developed but his irises still lack color. Even though his irises will have color by the time he is born, you won't know his permanent eye color until he is at least 9 months old. Most parents wait until their child's first birthday to determine what their permanent color will be.