Last Peak

It has been several months since I have had a sonogram, so I was really excited for my appointment. I was excited to see my little girl again and double check that everything is progressing normally.  Everything checked out great, and the sonogram tech estimates that she weighs about 7.5 pounds.   

Checking on Baby

I went in for my monthly visit to check on the baby.  I mentioned that I was in pain and had been uncomfortable for the past few days.  The doctor assured me that the baby was fine, and an ultrasound confirmed that she was happy.  I love the second shot of her hand and foot.  I just can't wait to hold her.

 

It's a GIRL!

It is confirmed.  It is a baby girl!  I had my big ultrasound appointment today at my doctor's office, and it is now official.  I still can't wrap my head around the news.  I think this is shock.

 

Another look

We headed back to Stork Vision for the second gender ultrasound.  We had a different ultrasound tech, and she immediately said that we were having a girl.  My first reaction, "WHAT?"  I think John Chris and I both were in shock.  She easily pointed out the three white lines and no penis. 

So now we are clueless.  After we examined both sets of ultrasound pictures, we can definitely see the three white lines, but we just don't want to get really excited about it until we have confirmation.  We will wait until I go back to my OB before decorating the nursery.

 

Gender ultrasound

We couldn't wait to find out if a baby boy or girl will be joining the family in January.  Our gender determination ultrasound was finally here.  The baby was awake and moving around but pretty happy in this position.  The ultrasound tech was able to get a few shots, but she couldn't get us that full on money shot of the private areas.  We got a few quick glimpses over 45 minutes.  After trying tons of poking and wiggling, she was 80% sure it was a boy. We were expecting to hear it was a boy, so we weren't shocked.  We both just had this little thought that it would be a girl this time. She set up an appointment for the following Thursday to confirm.

Doctor Appointment

Even after my 8 week check up, I have been a nervous wreck.  I just keep thinking about all the what ifs.  I made a big decision to change OB/GYN doctors after several problems kept happening.  So after 10 years, I made the change to Dr. Flowers in Grapevine. 

 

My first appointment went extremely well, and I feel very comfortable with her. 

I elected to have the non-invasive genetic test to screen for Down Syndrome.  It wouldn't make a bit of difference to us, but it would give us time to learn and prepare.  I had an ultrasound, and I was thrilled to see our little baby doing so well.  The heartbeat was still strong at 160 bpm.  The ultrasound tech made a few measurements, and I had some blood drawn. The results will be back next week. 

 

 

A deep breath ... of pure happiness!

I have stressed about this pregnancy so much since the miscarriage last year.  I have prayed and asked myself "what if" so many times.  As I waited over 45 minutes for my first ultrasound, I thought I was going to be sick.

I was so relieved to see my precious little baby and hear the heartbeat.  The baby measured right at 8 weeks and 168 bpm.  I can finally take a breath, because I feel a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.  Thank you, God, for answered prayers.

 

Fertility frog

Showing up once again to share the good news.

We are expecting baby #3 on January 24th!

Induction date is set

After visiting with the doctor today, we have set an induction date. We are scheduled for this Saturday, March 5th. It is not the way we wanted this pregnancy to end, but out of concern about the baby's size we have agreed to move forward. I am hoping he ends up a little smaller than estimated, but I really just want a healthy baby boy. It is so odd to schedule the day your child will be born.

I am hoping and praying this induction goes a lot easier on me and the baby. It is odd how all the emotions start to come into play. I am prepared for the epidural not to work again and the pain that comes with childbirth, but I am optimistic that the 3 hours of pushing won't happen again. As far as the baby, I am just thinking positive. I am praying for no NICU this time, and my baby boy being healthy without complications.

Latest baby progress update

I was upset when I received a call this morning that my doctor would be unable to see me due to an unexpected call at the hospital. I cringed at the thought of seeing Ruth, the nurse practitioner again. It seems that every time I have seen her in the past I have left upset. After the kidney scare a few months back, I swore that I would refuse to see her again. Well, I saw her again today for my check up. I am still not a fan, but everything went OK.
The baby's heart rate was 137 bpm. I am 4 cm dilated and 80% effaced. She said the baby could come at any time. I was excited to hear that I was making progress, and that the baby may come on his own terms. I have been dreading an induction due to how Ryland's turned out. I had a stress test, and the baby did just fine. I need to make it through the weekend, because my doctor is out of town. After that I am ready to get this party started. Mother of 2 boys. I am very excited!

Baby progress

My appointment went well this morning. We had a sonogram first, so we could get a sneak peak at the baby. He looks great, and he seems to be pretty darn happy. It was no surprise to us that he would measure big, and he didn't disappoint. He is currently measuring about 2-3 weeks ahead and weighs in at 7lbs 10 oz (plus or minus half a lb). This is a bit scary for me, because he could get pretty darn big by his due date. After speaking with the doctor, we are going to see how things go, but we are tentatively planning on inducing at 39 weeks.

Completed nursery

The nursery is complete! We moved the glider rocker and ottoman downstairs tonight and put the finishing touches on the room. I sat down in the chair and had a moment of realization. We will be bringing a baby home very soon. I think it was the fact that the room was complete and all the clothes and blankets are in place. How soon our lives will change.
The motorcycle prints set the theme for the room. I had a challenge finding exactly what I had in mind, but I knew that these would be perfect.

The replica antique motorcycles were a gift from Nana, and they are the perfect accents for the room. We are really excited to have the room complete and can't wait to bring our new baby boy home.

Doctor appointment

Baby Allison is progressing right on schedule, and his heartbeat was 150 bpm on this visit. The doctor says that all of my cramping is due to the constant up, down, and playing with Ryland. She was not concerned with my blood pressure on this visit but wants me to continue to monitor it closely. My final sonogram is scheduled for next week, so we will get a sneak peak at how big he is. I can't wait!

Doctor appointment

Once again, the doctor said everything looks great with the baby. He is measuring right on schedule still and his heartbeat was 137 bpm. I was a little nervous about my blood pressure, but I was alright this morning. I am happy and thankful that everything is looking normal. I hope it continues.

Doctor appointment

Once again, everything looks great with Baby Allison. The heartbeat was strong and stays steady at 145 bpm. He is measuring on target for a beginning of March arrival.

Doctor appointment

It was time for another doctor visit today to check on the bambino. Once again it was all good news. Everything looks great and progressing right on track. 145 bpm - one of the best sounds in the world.

Baby update

I had the monthly doctor visit, repeat sonogram, and glucose test this morning. I was a little nervous about the sonogram, and I was really ready to have an answer. I have thought about the potential kidney issue for the past month, and I had an odd reassuring feeling that the kidneys were just fine. I started with the sonogram and was pleasantly put at ease. The kidneys were visible and functioning, and the baby looked great! The baby's heart rate was 146 bpm, and I will have the glucose test results in a couple days. So far so good.

Home alone

Today is the first day for mommy and Ryland to be home alone. All of our family has gone home, and John Chris is back at work. We don't have any big or exciting plans for today. I think we will try to take a nap and get some household chores done. Ryland is already behind on his chores, but he his way ahead on the napping.

More family visits

Feel the love! Since Ryland has been at home, we have had several family visitors. We think he really likes all the attention. He loves to be held and cuddled.

John Chris's mom and dad came out for the weekend. It was the first meeting for his dad, and we had a great time. Everyone got a chance to hold and help spoil Ryland.

We made it back out to eat dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Bellisimo's. Ryland behaved perfectly; however, he was asleep.

Family time

Nana loves to hold and cuddle with Ryland. He is spoiled already!
Ryland loves his Uncle Clint. Ryland sucked down a bottle so quickly, unfortunately it came right back up on Uncle Clint. It was Ryland's way of saying "I love you, man".

Ryland and Aunt Kristi enjoy a moment.