24 week milestone....

Thrilled to report that this past Saturday marked the 24 week milestone in this pregnancy!!! I know we still have a long ways to go before we're past pre-term labor and dealing with the complexities and challenges of a preemie but hitting viability is still a huge milestone for me.

Saw the OB this afternoon and everything is thankfully continuing smoothly. I had my last cervical check ultrasound which continues to look great. She measured my stomach and said I'm measuring right at 24wks and baby girl's heartbeat continues to sound beautiful. I'll go back in two weeks for a growth ultrasound. Love all these reassuring appointments!

This little lady of ours is already so active! I've felt far more movement from her then I ever did with Lily or Ian, which I love. Feeling really excited & hopeful now. Next goal I'd love to hit is 32wks which would officially be the most pregnant I've ever been, after that I might be reaching here but hoping for 37wks!

24wk bump shot...

Milestones...

This week marks a scary but big milestone for us. We lost Lily at 22wks 6 days and today I'm 22wks 2 days. Thankfully I had an OB appointment today which was perfect timing since I woke up this morning fearful. Baby girl has been very active which is wonderfully reassuring, but then when she's not as active like this morning it causes me to worry, especially given the significance that this week holds. We got lots of reassuring news at the doctor today though; cervix is holding up beautifully, and the little lady is looking great as well and decided to be active again this afternoon right around the time of our appointment. I'll go back in two weeks for another cervical check & OB appointment, and then in four weeks I'll have a second growth ultrasound. 

In other exciting news, it seems our little man is officially potty trained!!! We've been working on it pretty solid for the past week or so and today was the first time while we were at a friend's house that he told me when he needed to go and used their bathroom twice. I'm thrilled that it looks like we'll be getting a little bit of a break from diapers before our little girl arrives. We're still using them for naps and bedtime of course, and I'm sure there'll be accidents now and then, but overall Ian's definitely surpassed my expectations with potty training. 

Growth and kicks...

Saw the perinatologist on Monday for my first growth ultrasound. Thankfully baby girl continues to look great, she's actually even measuring a few days ahead of schedule and already reached the 1 lb mark! The doctor actually said that unless anything comes up they don't need to see me back at that clinic and I'll just have my monthly growth ultrasounds done at my OB's from here on out!

Definitely feeling lots of baby kicks, she's an active little thing which I love! Hopefully will continue ahead drama free for the rest of this pregnancy. Only 3 more weeks until we reach viability...not that I'm counting or anything!

Over half way...

Thrilled to report that we're officially over half way through this pregnancy, and today I'm 20wks 2 days along. I saw my OB this afternoon and everything continues to progress beautifully. My cervix is measuring perfectly and, according to the ultrasound tech, we had verification of a girl for the third time and she continues to be very active! I've started to feel movement in the past week and a half or so which I love! I'll be seeing the perinatologist next week for our first monthly growth ultrasound and then will go back to the OB again for another cervical check in two weeks. Loving all of these reassuring appointments and feeling a bit excited, but will definitely feel better once we get through the next couple of months! 

I'm starting to think about planning freezer meals and such for after baby girl arrives and just in case bed rest is at all required later in this pregnancy. I've already got a list of some of our favorite dishes, and I'm planning to make doubles whenever I make them in the coming months so we can put one in the deep freeze for later. I cook a lot but am inexperienced when it comes to freezer meals so would love to hear your favorite freezer meals and/or methods!

Also beginning to research double stroller options. For those of you who have a double stroller what do you recommend? We go on a lot of walks and also want to be able to use it for outings around town but don't want to spend a ton of money either! I'm starting to look on swap groups and craigslist for some good used options but would love your input! 

Also just for fun a 20wk bump pic from this weekend...

Reassurance....

I had my 18wk OB appointment yesterday and everything continues to look great. The ultrasound tech did a cervical check and it continues to measure perfectly. Nick & Ian came with for the first time so she also was nice enough to do a brief ultrasound so they could see baby girl. Baby was active and looking great just like last week! 

The OB said she'll have me do monthly growth ultrasounds starting with the one in three weeks at the perinatologists office, and I'll return to her office for another cervical check and appointment in two weeks. 

She also talked to us about making sure that anyone who plans to be around the baby during her first 8wks of life gets a whooping cough (Tdap) vaccine. I'll also get one sometime between 27-36wks of this pregnancy. Otherwise a lovely, reassuring uneventful appointment...the absolute best kind! 

Overall feeling great. Every once in a while I feel the terror and worry about what if something went wrong now before baby reaches viability, but I try not to let it linger. I remind myself I'm doing everything I can at this point and the rest is out of my control and I have to hope that she's going to be okay. Needless to say I'll be so happy to reach the next big milestone which is 24wks! 

It's a....

I’m 17wks 5 days as of today and had my first appointment with the  perinatologist yesterday. I started weekly progesterone injections at 16wks which has been going smoothly and am continuing the daily baby aspirin. There have been recent studies that suggest taking a daily baby aspirin can help in prevention of preeclampsia for women who developed it early on in previous pregnancies, so both my OB and the perinatolgist want me to continue doing this. 

The appointment went fantastic yesterday. I’m always so nervous before these appointments and since it had been almost a month since I’d seen my OB I was especially worried about if everything was still going okay. Thankfully though baby was very active and cooperative! They did my first cervical lining ultrasound check which consists of a transvaginal ultrasound (and here I thought I was done with those!). Everything looked good in that regard and they’ll have me return to their clinic in two weeks for another check and then in a month for a more thorough ultrasound measuring everything. I also go back to my OB next week, I’m loving this month with all the reassuring appointments!

The big news at the appointment was that they were able to see the sex of the baby!!! Since Nick was at home with Ian during my appointment I asked the doctor to write it down and put it in an envelope so Nick & I could look at the results together at home. So glad we did it this way; even if he would have been with me there is something really nice about experiencing that news together on a more intimate level instead of in a clinic with another person present.

So not to leave you in suspense any longer….it’s a GIRL!!! I cried of course, although I was crying before we even read the gender. It’s just such a big moment. We’re thrilled and couldn’t be happier! Ian’s baby arrived today too, perfect timing, and he already loves taking care of it! He insisted on taking it to nap with him today and it’s melting my Momma heart watching him with his baby.

We shared this picture of the baby from the sonogram yesterday and then the one of Ian & I with Lily's quilt on facebook today to announce the news. We're thrilled that Lily's quilt will get to be used in her little sisters room!!! My friend Audra made the quilt out of Lily's baby clothes shortly after her death and it is one of our most treasured possessions. The pic doesn't really do it justice but was the best we could do while including big brother in the picture:) 

We're out...

So we made the announcement and are officially open about this pregnancy as of this week! I’ll be 15wks this Saturday and am starting to show just a bit, so for those who know me it was getting too difficult to hide. Everyone has been really supportive and it’s a bit of a relief now that it’s out there. I must admit though, it was really scary at first to announce. Although I’m trying hard not to let fear take control of my thoughts, I couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous that something would go wrong now that everyone knows.

 

In preparing Ian for the role of big brother and adapting to life with a sibling, I’m looking at getting him his own baby doll to practice caring for a baby. Strongly considering this one as it got really great reviews and looks like a nice option for him. Any suggestions or recommendations? Also got his first book about our family having a new baby for Christmas and would love other book recommendations you guys have to help him prepare!

 

Otherwise, not much else to report which I’m considering a good thing at this stage. I’ll be starting the P17 progesterone injections at 16wks and it appears will be paying for them out of pocket. I’ll have my first perinatologist appointment on January 7th and then will see my OB again on January 13th. These long waits in between appointments are difficult for me as I love the reassurance of knowing everything is okay with the baby, but I’m trying to be patient. Otherwise looking forward to spending some time with our families for the Christmas holiday next week. Happy Holidays to all of you!!