12 Week Appointment and First MFM Meeting

As the U/S tech prepared the wand my heart started pounding. I always get so nervous that there won't be a heartbeat. But sure enough, a few seconds, and there it was!! Flickering away!! Baby jumped and and moved all over the place. It still blows my mind how much detail is seen when baby is only 2 inches long. Big forhead just like Ava, skinny arms and legs with hands and feet. It was hanging around upside down when we first started watching, so we got ot wait a while until he/she decided to lay on their back so the tech could get the measurements for the trisomy testing.

So far all the major issues that could be picked up this early are in the clear. Baby has a brain, all arms and legs, etc:-) The neck and nose measurements point towards no Trisomy problems. Next in depth scan is on Feb 3rd (where we will also find out the sex.

NOW.....you know me, I have all sorts of tests and theories on sex prior to finding out. I had the tech zoom in a bit to examine the "nub". She says she is really good at guessing gender with it. So she was 85-90% we are having a............

You will have to wait and see;-) LOL. (Adam and I are planning the gender reveal sequel to the pregnancy announcement). And we will confirm for sure sex here in a couple weeks.

I will post a picture, and you are all welcome to guess if you are good at reading nubs;-)

So after talking with the High Risk Doc, here is what we know, and our plans for this pregnancy:

Looking back at old labs, I was FOUR POINTS from having pre-eclampsia with Ava (My #s were 296 and Pre-E is 300). I turned in my 24 hour urine for analysis the day we gave birth to her. So the odds are if given a few more days, I would have developed Pre-E with her. In order to help prevent this from happening again, I have been put on a low dose aspirin, and will be getting a baseline 24 hr urine now.

We already did a gestational diabetes test at 10 weeks and I tested negative. But because I had it with Ava, we will be testing again around 18 weeks, then again at 24 weeks.

I will have an U/s every 4 weeks between now and 28 weeks, then every week to monitor amniotic fluid levels, since that was our reason for delivering Ava so early.

We will start non stress tests around 28-30 weeks twice a week.

DELIVERY AT 35 weeks (End of May).

I might as well set up a cot at my doctor's office;-) lol

I thank God every day that I have a team that is truly willing to do EVERYTHING possible to have this baby here and alive.

Here is my adorable, tiny babe:

Nerves are Setting In: 12 weeks

12 weeks:
Symptoms: Nausea in the morning with vomiting most mornings. Exhaustion, sore boobs, and need to pee ALL THE TIME. My gums have started bleeding again while brushing (I had this issue with both girls)

Food cravings/aversions: The problem is nothing sounds good. I eat for my health and the baby's, but i am having no real cravings, and I will cook something, then only take a few bites. 

Gender: Won't know for a while, but finally have names picked out: Fitzgerald Rose or Philippa Rose

Belly button in or out: Still in 

Stretch marks: TONS of old ones from Rosalynn and Avaleen, Really can't tell if there are new ones. I LITERALLY look like a zebra from my 2 girls. 

What I miss: My wedding rings. I had to take them off a lot earlier this time. I miss wine and sushi. lol but those things are easy to give up when you think of the end result. 

What I am looking forward to:
The scan tomorrow to see little bit is ok, and thriving. 

SOOOOOO close to the end of the first trimester! I know we have seen this babe 3 times, twice with a strong heartbeat, but I get soooo nervous before each ultrasound. Tomorrow we go in for the 12 week scan.The one where they take measurements to decide baby's risk for Downs Syndrome and other Trisomy disorders. 

Of course genetic issues are a worry. I help with a WONDERFUL ministry that assists perinatal hospice pregnancies (fatal diagnosis pregnancies) Sufficient Grace. I have seen it all. I am ALL too aware of all the problems that can arise. Neural Tube defects, anomalies there are no cures for, heart and kidney defects. UGH! Sometimes I wish I DIDN"T know so much. 

But then there is the fear that they will put the wand on my stomach and there is no HB. I have unfortunately heard those words when gestationally the odds were in our favor. This past week there have been NUMEROUS girls in my support group go in for their 12 week scan and baby had passed.

We get to meet with the High Risk doctor tomorrow as well and discuss the care plan. I am excited about this, and will update you all when we have information. 

Please just send prayers for peace in my heart, that baby is ok and healthy, and that we make it to the next milestone (2nd trimester). 

"6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God. 

7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

What is in a Name?!?! Boy and Girl Name Revealed!!

Oh what is in a name? It is a HUGE decision a parent has to make for their child. Unless they go through the legal process of changing it, a child has to live with their name for THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. ----No Pressure;-)

Foster and I put a lot of thought into the names we choose. We want them to be strong names for adults, but have a cute nickname for when children.

Rosalynn Patricia (Liam David had she been a boy): We wanted an Irish name, but I have ALWAYS loved my sister's middle name (Rose). Even though she HATED IT! Patricia is my mother's name. Rose in Gaelic is "Roshin", or "my little Rose", but the English translation is Rosaline. We liked Rosalynn better:-) Nickname: ROSIE

Liam we just really liked, and being the gaelic shortened version of "William", it means "Protector". Fitting for the oldest son.

Avaleen Rose (Would have been a Declan Rose if a boy); OBVIOUS where we got the middle names from.
Avaleen is the pheonetic version of the Gaelic name Aibhlinn, but i figured NO ONE would know how to properly pronounce it, so we spelled it phonetically. It means "Much Prayed for Child" Which if you followed this blog through the pregnancy with her, you know she was VERY much prayed for by all!!

Declan Rose: Liam had started to really take off as a popular name, so we opted to change the boy's name. Since I didn't give Foster a choice on the girl's name, I let him choose the boy's. This was before Revenge ever aired, and he chose it because there was a rugby player with the name. LOL. I looked up the meaning: Man of prayer, Full of goodness. I loved it:-) And although Rose was the middle name, "Declan Rose" had a very masculine, strong sound to it. My family wasn't THRILLED with the name at first, but then it grew on everyone. I STILL love it, but thank you Revenge for making it the fastest rising name for boys in 2012-2015.

So what are we naming this little one? Well if she is a girl, she will be named after my Granny who Rosalynn is buried with.

Granny and I were EXTREMELY close. She was my soulmate, my best friend, my right hand woman. We were two peas in a pod. I have always wanted to name a girl after her, BUT she HATED her name. She threatened me that if I ever named  a daughter after her, she would haunt me till the day I died. Not only did she hate her name, she HATED the nick name everyone called her. BUT thanks to one very famous British sister, I found an appropriate nickname that Granny would have LOVED.

Philippa Rose: Phillippa was Granny's name, and there was a whole story behind how she received it. Her friends called her Phil. She HATED both. But THANK YOU Pippa Middleton!! If anyone wasn't aware, her real name is Philippa. So when I read that in People magazine, I was about 7 months pregnant with Ava. I WANTED to change her name sooooo bad, but had already become attached to Avaleen. So I vowed over 4 years ago, that if we had another girl, we would name her Phillippa, and call her Pippa for short.

Foster and I had SUCH a hard time picking a name for a boy. We loved Philip in honor of my Granny, I don't think we plan on having anymore children, because it is SOOOOO difficult on me. With so many losses, and hard pregnancies, I am not sure I can go through it again. But we haven't decided if we are going to make it permanent. If my docs advise after 3 c-sections that it is unsafe for me to have more, we will make it permanent, and he will be named Philip David. If they say we can have more, we will see, and then I don't want to use Philip, because if the next one is a girl, she will obviously be Phillippa. So we had to have another name lined up. We went back and forth, back and forth. But FINALLY settled on a GREAT name!! I actually love it, and it makes me excited to have a boy. (I get excited when I have a name picked out, but am anxious for the sex I don't have a name for until then).

Fitzgerald (middle name TBD: Rose is top contender): We would call him Fitz for short!! I LOVE IT!! LOL. I love it more than Liam and Declan!!

This is such a fun part of being pregnant, but truly a stressful part. I am glad Foster and I were able to agree on both names with no big arguments;-)

SO what will this baby be?!?!?! A Pippa or a Fitz?!?!? Now I am truly excited to find out!!!

Gender Predictor #2

Another fun gender prediction test people look at is the Chinese calendar. I did this one for Ava, and posted it HERE Obviously, from her post, the calendar said she would be a boy, yet it said Rosie was going to be a girl. 

I entered in my info to this website: 

http://www.thelaboroflove.com/chart/pred.html

It is hard because we physically conceived end of September/beginning of October. So for the sake of the test, I said October because if the typical woman ovulates 14 days into her cycle, I would have conceived in October. 

So according to the site, I am having a BOY. 

So as of right now, the odds remain 50/50 between the 2 tests. 

Boy: 50%

Girl: 50%

Baby Nora, Ava Gets Practice for Being a Big Sister

I mentioned in a previous post that my sister, Bug had a BABY!! Yep, that's right, my little, baby sister is a mom. And I am TOTALLY IN LOVE!!!!

I feel a special bond with little Miss Nora because I was able to be IN the OR when my sister had her c-section. Kate was there for me when Ava was born, and I was able to be in with her!! I was the 4th person to hold Nora, and she looked at me like she recognized my voice when I said "Hi" for the first time:-)

Ava is OBSESSED. She asks regularly when we get to see "Baby Nora" and talks about how she is going to be baby Nora's best friend. Ava has really stepped up to the plate of being a big cousin, and getting a lot of good practice on what is to come. We watch Nora every Tuesday so my sister can sleep after working the night shift. She lays on the play mat with Nora, and makes her stop crying by singing "OOO EE OOO AHH AHH TING TANG WALLA WALLA BING BANG". LOL We are convinced those will be Nora's first words because Ava has been singing them to her since birth, and it actually makes her stop crying and smiles at Ava every time. She will read to Nora, and play with her toys with her. It is the sweetest thing I have ever seen. It makes me SOOOO excited to see Ava as a big sister.

Ava and this baby will be about the same age difference as Bug and I. We are a little over 4 years apart. I remember the day Bug was born. I loved her from day one, and I cannot imagine my life without her. I pray that Ava and this baby have the same bond!

So without further ado, here are some pictures of my beautiful niece! For the record, she was one of the most difficult newborns I have ever photographed. She has not liked to sleep since the day she was born!! LOL

**all photos taken by me:-)**

Gender Prediction Test #1: Ramzi Method

If you all followed me through Ava's pregnancy, I did about 8 of these. They were a lot of fun, and between the tests and old wives tales, Ava was 87% girl;-)

This one is fun, because it can be done EARLY in pregnancy. Best done with the 6-8 week u/s. It is based off of the theory that you can tell the sex by the  placement of the PLACENTA in the uterus. The theory is if a boy, then the placenta will form on the right side of the sac, and if a girl the left. Now, you have to remember, if you get an abdominal u/s, the image is mirrored, so left is right and right is left. If you get a baginal u/s then it is true to what you see on the screen, right is right and left is left.

If you see the u/s picture, you can see a dark thick part right outside the sac bottom right. Since this was an abdominal u/s, left is right and right is left. So by Ramzi method, little bean is a GIRL.

** remember, these are done strictly for fun, I don't hold much in these theories, and I will be thrilled with whatever we have!!!**

Boy: 0

Girl: 1