Baby/belly update

We just had an appointment this last Monday. Surprisingly, the visit was uneventful, except for one thing... I gained 8 lbs in the last month! Now my Dr has not said anything to me about my weight, unless I ask, until that visit. I guess I need to start watching what I eat and not use the "I'm eating for 2" excuse anymore. I have already gained more than half of the weight that I should and have 14 more weeks to go. Wow 14 more weeks! I remember hitting the 14 week mark. I guess this is going by faster than I thought. For those of you who have requested it, I finally got an updated belly shot.

I am 25.5 weeks along in this picture and look huge. I often wonder how my stomach is going to get any bigger. I'm already starting to feel some discomfort, such as trouble breathing and I'm told it is only going to get worse. Oh boy.

Speaking of boys. We had another ultrasound at this last visit. Here are some of the pictures from it:

There is no doubt it is a boy. He is definitely not shy about showing his manhood. Now try and get a picture of his face and it is a whole other story.

It also looks like we may have a little body builder on our hands. Not only was he doing a body builder pose, but it also looks like he already has a bicep muscle forming. His daddy is so proud.

Well everything is going good and according to plan. We just hope things keep going smoothly and that our little man doesn't come too early. As anxious as I am to meet him, I wouldn't mind carrying him around in me for another 3 months or so. Until next time...

So I am a little behind...

We have had some major milestones the last two weeks or so. To begin with, Bill has finally been able to feel the baby move. I have felt him move for the last 5 weeks or so, but not until last week could Bill feel it. Bill had his hand on my stomach and the baby either kicked or punched at his hand. Either the baby does not like Bill to touch me or they are beginning their male bonding. Then this last Sunday, I was laying on my in-law's couch and the baby began moving around like crazy. I looked at my stomach and it was rolling and moving, which was quite the sight to see. This went on for at least 5 minutes or so. He is also getting much stronger with his movements. I am beginning to feel them more frequently and usually when I want to rest.

I also had a doctor's appointment on Monday. All of the measurements from my ultrasound were good, with no visible issues at this time. We also had the baby tested for downs syndrome and that came back negative. So far so good. The baby's heartbeat was strong, but as usual it was not all that easy for the Doctor to get the heartbeat. Every time she put the device on my stomach and got his heartbeat, he would kick at her. She said we are going to have our hands full with this one. With how active he is now, I just wonder what it is going to be like once he is born. In short, everything looks good so far. I am 2 weeks away from my safety zone (the earliest the baby can be born and still have a chance of survival). The closer we get to that point, the more relaxed and confident I get with this pregnancy.

Oh and sorry to those of you who would like to see my belly growth. I ran out of room on my camera's memory card and have not purchased a new one yet. I will hopefully get a picture posted in a couple of weeks or so. Until next time...

IT'S A . . . (read to find out)

I know I haven't been very good about updating the blog, but things have been a little crazy lately. Well the belly is getting bigger every week and I am starting to look more pregnant than fat. Here is a photo of the belly at 16 weeks:

I know I missed the 12 week photo, but as I said things have been crazy.

A week ago I went in to see my doctor and she found the baby's heartbeat right away. Whew!! No stress this visit. The heart was beating strong and baby did not want to stay still. Everytime the Dr found the heartbeat, the baby would move and she would lose it. Those are good signs to me.

Yesterday, I went in for my 18 week ultrasound. This is the ultrasound where they check out the organs, bones, gender, etc. It was still up for debate whether we were going to find out the gender of our baby or not. I wanted to wait and be surprised, but Bill wanted to find out. When the ultrasound tech asked if we were going to find out the sex of the baby, Bill proudly claimed "YES". I had finally given into his "pleading". She began the ultrasound and it was obvious that we have a very active baby on our hands. It kept moving around; hands and arms flying everywhere, the heart was strong, legs moving like crazy, just plain active. From what our naive and unexperienced eyes could tell, all looked good. Here are a couple of pictures she provided us with:

That's right, we are having a BOY!!!!! Bill was so excited, I knew he was doing a happy dance in his head. I was just happy the baby had a strong heart and all body parts. Until next time...

Dr.'s Appointment #2

So I had another Dr's appointment yesterday. This was number 2 of many to come at the Ob/Gyn. I went in not knowing what they do at these follow up visits. They weighed me (I have only gained 2 lbs), took my blood pressure, asked me how I was doing and if I had any questions, measured my uterus (just over 12 weeks), then proceeded to listen to the baby's heartbeat. Now I was seeing the Dr's nurse and she was all excited that we were going to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time. We had to burst her bubble and let her know we had heard it twice already. Anyway she was using their little handheld device to find the heartbeat. After tracing over my stomach for a few minutes and mistaking my heartbeat for the baby's once, she came to the conclusion that she couldn't find it. Panic was beginning to start. The nurse then decided to squeeze me in for an ultrasound to see if we could find it that way. There wasn't an ultrasound tech available so another RN volunteered to do it. As she began to do the ultrasound, she could find my uterus, but could not find a baby. Panic was really beginning to sink in. I was freaking out that we had lost the baby, but she was finally able to find it and get a good view to see it's heart beating. We couldn't hear it because she didn't know how to turn that feature on. We were able to see it wave its arms around and see its fingers. At one point it looked like it was sucking on its hand. The ultrasound tech finally slipped into the room and got us a good heartbeat; 162 bpm, right where it is supposed to be. That was not a good visit, I freaked out one too many times. I hope the next one goes better. Until next time...

Update

So I went to the MFM (Maternal Fetal Medicine) specialist yesterday. I thought I was going to have my cervix messured, but didn't. I was informed they really can't tell the difference between the cervix and uterus until around the 18th week. Now I am not sure if I go back at that time or not, they really weren't clear. I did get another ultrasound done though. According to the MFM doctor, what my Ob thought was a gestational sac, was not. He said it was just fluid in my uterus. He said it was most likely my uterus lining being sluffed off, like when preparing to get pregnant or have a period. Good news, it was not a miscarriage. Good/bad news, it is not another baby. Another thing I found out, you can have kidney problems when you have a bicornuate uterus. I did not know this. Now I'm not sure if it is something that develops during fetal growth or comes on with age. So we looked at my kidneys as well. They looked good and in working order. Overall, it was not a very productive visit, but I did get another ultrasound and got to see my baby wave at me. Well wave with what little of a hand it has. This picture is zoomed in, the fetus is not that big yet.

FYI- The baby's head is on the left with the body to the right. The little white (detached looking) spot kinda in the middle of the "kidney bean" (baby), is its hand. If you look close, you can see the beginning of the fingers.

Until next time...

We are........PREGNANT!!!!!

It took Bill and I about 9-10 months to get pregnant, but it finally happened. I did a pregnancy test on Monday April 26, 2010 and it came back positive. I had been feeling really tired and irritable (insert "what's different" here), plus had not had my period. Long story short, I decided to do a pregnancy test just to make sure. Well it was positive. The next step was to figure out how to tell Bill and this is how I did it:

I got 2 onesies, put the positive pregnancy test on top and then wrapped it all in pink and white tissue paper with a blue and green ribbon. When Bill opened it, at first he wasn't sure if I was saying what he thought I was saying, but of course I was. I just wish I had gotten a picture of his face.

Next was to tell the family. On the day of our sealing Bill and I decided to tell our moms first, as an early Mother's Day present. We had gotten some pink and blue M&M's that said "Boy or Girl", "Girl or Boy". They too were not sure we were saying what they thought we were saying, but once again they were right.

Now I am going to humiliate myself and put monthly pictures up of the belly growth. So here is the first one, 8 weeks:
There is a little bit of a belly and I must confess, not all of it is pregnancy.

Okay now to the present day. I had my first appointment today, which means the first ultrasound. It was confirmed that I do have a bicornuate uterus and the baby is growing on one side of the uterus. They also saw a gestational sac on the other side of my uterus. This can mean 2 things: I either had an early miscarriage or I could be pregnant with twins who were conceived at different times! Now I go back in 2 weeks to have another ultrasound done to further determine what it could be. Either the sac will be reabsorbed, my body will pass the sac out or there will be another embryo growing. Only time will tell.

As for the baby that is growing, everything looks great and we are on track for a December 25th due date. That's right, Christmas day! The heart was beating good and its little nubbins are growing.

As you can see, there is a little body in there. If you look closely, you can also see the other side of my uterus in the picture on the bottom. It is the white tubular thing to the left of where the baby is. As I said before, there is a sac in that side, but it has yet to be determined at what stage it is at. I will keep you all up to date on the goings on of my pregnancy. Until next time...

Goin' to the Temple and we're goin' to get married!

On May 1st, Bill and I will be going to the Mount Timpanogos Temple to be sealed for all time and eternity. It has been a long road, but we are finally getting there. I am way excited to finally make those sacred covenants with my Heavenly Father. I am also very excited that it will occur in the Mount Timpanogos Temple. I have been in love with that temple since I walked through it during the open house back in 1996.

It will also be very nice to have family and friends there to support us in our decision. I know this is what my Heavenly Father wants us to do and we will be blessed because of it. Thank you to all who have been there for Bill and I as we make this next step in our marriage. We appreciate you all! Until next time...

Done Counting (on here)

Okay, the final 10 things I am grateful for.

1. A variety of food, I could not eat the same thing over and over again

2. Indoor plumbing, I would hate to have to use an outhouse all the time, YUCK!

3. Toilet paper, who wants to use leaves or your hand?

4. Scriptures, words to live by

5. Makeup, some days you just don't feel like being yourself

6. Candy, I love candy it makes me happy (unless I eat too much and then I get a tummy ache)

7. Fresh produce, nothing tastes better than fresh fruits and vegetables

8. Airplanes, sometimes you just don't want to drive 3 days to get to a destination

9. Telephones, they allow us to hear our loved ones voices

10. A home because it is more than a house

Until next time...

And Still Counting

I know, I know, I have been really bad. I get going and forget to post what I am grateful for. I am in bed and suddenly I remember. Bad excuse, I know. It's just like life when we forget to remember what we are grateful for and focus on everything else. So here goes, 20 things I am grateful (today and yesterday combined).

1. Flat Irons, they help tame my straight yet wavy hair

2. Sleep, it is a wonderful thing

3. Priesthood blessings, they calm the nerves and the soul

4. Music, it takes you to a whole other world

5. Cushioned chairs, my rear end really appreciates them

6. Payday, who doesn't like getting money, even if you did have to work for it

7. Lazy Sunday afternoons when I can just spend time relaxing with Bill and the dogs

8. Family, they are supportive and there when you need them

9. Blankets, they keep me cozy warm

10. Free lunches, who doesn't like a free meal

11. Blinds, some days you just want to shut the world out

12. Hard workers, without them, nothing would get done

13. Recipes, I am not creative enough to come up with things on my own

14. Pillows, they are nice to rest your head on and snuggle with

15. Soccer, sometimes you just need to kick something

16. Carpet, it makes walking around barefoot a little more comfortable

17. Gum, if you have ever smelled someones bad breath, you know why

18. Air fresheners, they make some rooms a little more pleasant

19. Scissors, imagine if we had to tear everything

20. Electric windows, I hated having to roll my car windows up and down (I know, I'm lazy)

Until next time...

And Counting

Okay so I was really bad and did not post the 10 things I was grateful for yesterday. I will make up for it today and post 20 things I am grateful for.

1. Rakes, it makes it so much easier to clean up leaves

2. Shovels, they help get those stubborn roots out

3. Fruit snacks, they are just yummy

4. Perennials, it is one less plant I have to plant the next year

5. Saturday mornings, I get to wake up naturally which usually means 8:30am or later

6. LDS.org, it is a great resource of church information

7. Time to play with my dogs, it is relaxing and they bring me so much joy

8. The first signs of Spring because I know the flowers will start blooming and summer is just around the corner

9. Washer and Dryer so I don't have to wash and dry my clothes by hand, if I did I'm sure they would all be dirty

10. Heating and Air Conditioning that keep me comfortable

11. Diet Dr. Pepper, its an "Unbelievably Satisfying" diet drink with 23 flavors

12. Snakes that keep the mice population down

13. Lotion, it makes my dry skin moist and soft

14. Deodorant, I would hope you would know why

15. Razors, now I hate to shave, but when I do I love the feeling of my legs

16. When Bill shaves, I love feeling his smooth cheek against mine

17. Trials in life, though they may be hard at the time, you usually come out a better and smarter person

18. Little kids, they remind us that life can be full of joy if you just remember to let yourself enjoy it

19. Clean water that I can drink and bathe in, not everyone in the world has the luxury

20. Belts, they help pants stay where they were meant to be, around your waist not your butt

Until next time...

And Counting

Okay so its day 5 and 10 more things I am grateful for:

1. Blonde moments, it reminds me no one is perfect, plus you usually get a good laugh out of them

2. Hair Conditioner, without it I would not be able to run a brush through my hair

3. Thursdays because the next day is Friday

4. Toothbrush and toothpaste, make my mouth squeaky clean

5. Gardening/landscaping, it is a great way to lose yourself in your thoughts and relax

6. Breathing, for that split second you can't breath and then you get to inhale, what a wonderful feeling

7. The color blue, I just really like it

8. Spending time with Bill, it makes me realize why I fell in love with him in the first place

9. Memories, they allow me to relive special moments with the people I care about and sometimes make for a really good story

10. Teaching the Beehives, I learn so much more in doing that than I think they do

Until next time...

And Still Counting

Okay, 10 more things I am grateful for:

1. Sunshine and warm weather, they put me in a good mood

2. Visiting Teachers who bring me yummy cookies and a good gab session/lesson

3. "The Big Bang Theory", that show makes me laugh so hard

4. Temples, where families can be sealed together forever

5. My health, so many people out there are in a lot of pain or have an illness of some sort and are on medications the rest of their lives (not my idea of life)

6. Chuck-its, they help me wear out some very energetic dogs

7. The Young Women of my ward, what an example they are of strong, independent women

8. Cameras, they allow us to capture a moment in time that we can go back and relive through our memories

9. Dishwasher so I don't have to do all my dishes by hand

10. The Internet which allows my to stay up to date with family and friends that live far away

Until next time...

And Counting

Okay so my next 10 things I am grateful for are:

1. My snuggie, which allows me to stay warm while I eat chips and salsa and watch tv

2. Socks because my feet get cold easily

3. The backs on earrings otherwise I would have lost most of mine by now

4. My vehicle that gets me back and forth from home to wherever I need to go

5. Morning goodbye kisses from Bill because it is one of the nicest ways to be woken up at 6am

6. Bejeweled, it's just addicting

7. Nail clippers so I don't have to chew my nail off when it breaks

8. Birds chirping outside that means spring is in the air and warmer weather is on its way

9. Control Top Pantyhose- they hide the flaws

10. Neighbors, they are family away from family

Until next time...

Still Counting

Okay so to be honest I almost forgot to post the 10 things I am grateful for today. I eventually remembered so here I go (again in no particular order):

1. Tags in t-shirts because without them, I'm sure I would walk around with most of my shirts on backwards

2. Prayer, knowing I can talk to my Heavenly Father and He is listening to just me makes me feel like one in 6 billion

3. Laughter because some days it is THE best medicine

4. Leftovers from the night before, especially when they are leftovers someone else made

5. Hot showers, they seem to wash away all the stress of the day, even if it is only for a few moments

6. The ability to walk, how much easier life is because I can rely on my two legs to get me around

7. "Thank you" because sometimes that's all it takes to make someone's bad day turn around

8. Ibuprofen, it helps take the literal pain away

9. My bed, it helps me escape the world for just a little while

10. Ant traps so I don't have to have ants in my house (they belong outside)

11. Tissues, I have used a lot lately and they come in handy when you need to clean up crocodile tears (much better than your sleeves, you can throw tissues away)

I know I said I would only do 10, but I felt a little more grateful today. Until next time...

COUNT MY MANY BLESSINGS

This weekend was Stake Conference and the theme was "Count Your Blessings". I was inspired by some of the talks to do just that. I have been so focused on what is going on wrong in my life, that I have forgotten to be grateful for all that is going right. My goal is to write down ten things I am grateful for each day for the next ten days. That means I am going to list a total of 100 things I am grateful for. Now these are in no particular order, here we go:

1. My husband, who has put up with me through my crazy emotional roller coaster, especially as of late, and his desire to cook Sunday dinner when it is sunny outside

2. My dogs who make me laugh at least once a day and are there for me to smother to death as if they were my own flesh and blood

3. My parents who have been such an example to me for the past 29+ years

4. My siblings, their spouses (if they have them), and their children for being there when I need a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen or just there to make me laugh and they remind me why families are so important

5. Flowers growing in the most random places because beauty can be found anywhere if we only open our eyes to see it

6. The Priesthood and the blessings that are administered through it, allowing me to find comfort in some of my darkest hours

7. The words "I love you" because in those three simple words, a whole world of emotion is carried

8. The Gospel of Jesus Christ because it is a guiding light and a beacon of hope in a world of chaos and confusion

9. A job because while so many out there are struggling to find one and make ends meat, Bill and I are able to have a steady income and pay our bills

10. Paying tithing, I know that if Bill and I did not pay tithing we would not be able to enjoy our life the way we do

Until next time...

Beautiful day in March

So this was the first nice Saturday with nothing planned. Bill has been itching to go fishing so that's just what we did. We got up, got the boys ready, packed up the things we had at the house and headed to Cabela's. After getting ourselves fishing licenses and a few other odds and ends, we were off to Utah Lake. After about an hour or two of throwing the line in the water without any bites, we decide to teach Bodee to swim and that's just what he did. He swam! It made the day worth it. Here are a few pictures and a video of our day. Enjoy! Until next time...

Such a workout

So it is actually a pretty nice day today in Utah. It is in the 50s and sunny! I decided that since I didn't need to be completely bundled up to be outside, I would throw the ball for the dogs. We have a Chuck-It (a throwing apparatus) and it definitely helps get the energy out of the dogs. I must have really warn them out because Mick gave up on actually getting the ball and Bodee would only bring it back 3/4 of the way. They were panting pretty good and started searching for water. Now with these two dogs no ordinary water bowl would do. I allow them to drink out of the tub's faucet so I don't have to continually refill their water bowl (weird, I know, but it works). Well I guess Bodee was really thirsty because he just helped himself.

"New" Health Problems...

WARNING: TODAY'S BLOG ENTRY MIGHT BE TMI (TOO MUCH INFORMATION) FOR SOME. SO IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW PERSONAL INFORMATION, DISCONTINUE YOUR READING NOW.

Okay, here we go. I am going to make the beginning of the story fairly short. I could go into more detail, but I don't think it is needed. Thursday night I was nauseated, had diarrhea, and was throwing up. Friday morning I was nauseated, had diarrhea, and now had a sharp pain in my right lower abdominal region. Not a good combination. I went into work to have my boss look at me (I work in a doctor's office, remember?). I had talked to her the night before about the diarrhea and nausea, but the vomiting and sharp pain were new. Once she heard about that, she was concerned about my appendix. She did a couple of tests and only one came back positive. Still worried, we decided that I needed an abdominal and pelvic ultrasound to rule out appendicitis and cysts on my ovaries. Now the real story begins.

I was able to get in for the ultrasound that same day. While doing the ultrasound, they were not able to find my appendix or free standing fluids. This was a good sign; at least my appendix had not burst or was not inflamed. They also said my ovaries looked good, no sign of cysts on either one. Now the tough part. While looking at my uterus, they discovered that my cervix was open, normally it is not supposed to be. Also they discovered what is called a "Bicornuate Uterus" or a "Double Horned Uterus". It is easier to show than to explain what it is, so here is a picture:




The top image in the picture is that of a normal uterus. The bottom image is a Bicornuate Uterus or what I have. From what they could tell, mine was a complete bicornuate uterus, meaning my uterus is not one chamber until just above the cervix. This is a birth defect so it is something I was born with and did not do anything to cause it.

Now the problems with both of these discoveries. With an open cervix I have no problem getting pregnant, but staying pregnant. The cervix is there to help keep the fetus in the uterus. So when they talk about a pregnant woman being dilated, it is her cervix they are talking about. It is stretching/opening to allow the baby's head through. Now this can be fixed. They can "sew" it shut once I am pregnant to increase the chances of a full term baby.

The biggest issue is with the bicornuate uterus. Here are the problems that can arise with it:
1. Recurrent pregnancy loss
2. Preterm birth
3. Malpresentation

So in layman's terms the risks are:
1. Higher chance for miscarriage due to the lack of room in the uterus for the baby to grow (miscarriage is more likely to occur in the 2nd trimester)
2. Higher chance for the baby to be born premature, which also decreases the chances of the baby's survival (if born too early)
3. A breech or transverse birth, meaning the baby is not head down in the birthing canal due to the lack of room to move

Now my uterus can be surgically fixed, but most doctors will not recommend this and will not do it (so I have read).

While this may be a very dark cloud over my world right now, there is a silver lining. I have read about many women with this same defect that have had multiple healthy births. Studies show there is about a 60% live birth rate for women with bicornuate uteri.

What's my next step? I am going into an Ob/Gyn to discuss fertility and my Bicornuate Uterus. We will just have to wait and see what my options are. Until next time...

So far...

Okay, so far we are 22 days into 2010. The year started out with me finding my first WHITE hair. I know, I am waaaaay too young, but there it was on the top of my head; gleaming and shimmering, waiting for me to find it. Not the way you want to start out a new year. Especially the year you leave your 20s and become more of an "adult".

Besides my horrific find, we started out with Bill's throat problem being almost completely dissolved. He went in and had his throat stretched again on the 7th. They were hoping to stretch it to 10mm (half the size of a normal person's throat). Once in there, they were able to get it to 12mm (that made the Dr's day)! They were also able to get the scope into his stomach, a feet they were nowhere close to achieving the first time. Let's just say Bill is a new man when it comes to eating.

We also finally got internet at home! So at the suggestion of the Nice One, I will try and update my blog more frequently. I make no promises, but I will try. Until next time...