Single Umbilical Artery

Last Tuesday we had our scheduled ultrasound and doctors appointment.  The ultrasound lasted an unusually long time (about 50 mins), but our ultrasound lady was a student and I assumed she was having a hard time getting the pictures she needed.  She seemed to keep measuring the same things (head, legs, etc.) over and over.  She told me her supervisor would be in shortly to get some more pictures and check all her measurements.  Baby boy was extra cooperative and once the supervisor came in, it wasn't much longer before we walked across the hall to the doctor's office.

The doctor's appointment was at 12, and there wasn't much action was in the waiting room.  The few people that had been in there had been called back shortly after noon.  About 12:30, after seeing a couple groups of ladies head to lunch, I began to think they had forgotten about us.  I sat and waited and about 12:45 a nurse called me back.  We did the usual blood pressure and weight check, then we waited in a room for the doctor.  As it got close to 1, Kevin was getting concerned about being late for work and I insisted that he just go ahead and go.  I went through everything that I thought the doctor was going to say.  He felt comfortable leaving, and when he opened the door to leave, the doctor was walking to our room.  She told him to stay for just a minute and she wouldn't keep us long.

She jumped right into saying my umbilical cord had a single artery and a single vein.  I'm thinking, "ok, that sounds good to me", but she went on to explain that normally you have two arteries in your umbilical cord.  She went through a list of scary things that sometimes can happen when you only have one artery, but kept focusing on the fact that our baby boy looked perfect on ultrasound.  (Typically when there are genetic problems associated with SUA {about 20% of the time}, the baby doesn't measure right, and you'd be able to tell that at the 2nd trimester ultrasound).  Everything measured right on track, nothing seemed abnormal, and 75+% of the people that have single umbilical artery end up having perfectly healthy babies.  The chances of it happening is about 1 out of every 100.

Our doctor suggested going ahead with the blood test at my next appointment that will rule out some genetic problems associated with SUA (although she doesn't think this baby shows any indication of having a single problem) and told me to expect lots of ultrasounds starting at 28 weeks and weekly monitoring starting at 34 weeks (I'll have to go get hooked up to the machines and let them monitor the baby for about an hour once a week).  I'll also have to be on top of the "kick counts" every day to make sure the baby is continuing to stay active.

The doctor kept reassuring us that she expects a very favorable outcome and went on to say 20 years ago they had none of this technology that's out there today and they wouldn't know if babies had SUA until they cut the umbilical cord once they were born.  The day we received the news I had a mini melt down thinking about all the "what ifs" and realized that it was a total waste of my time to even think like that because everything is out of my control and the doctor gave us a very good report on our little guy.  The Lord blessed us with this baby, and He's in control of what happens - we've cast all our cares upon Him!  Hoping to share more ultrasound pictures in October :)  Here's a couple of my favorite from the ultrasound last Tuesday...

Doesn't he have the cutest little profile?!

He tried putting his hand in his mouth at one point.  Pretty cute to watch!

Gender Reveal

This afternoon we had some family and friends over for our gender reveal party!  Here's some pictures from the party!

The snack line up.....

Cupcakes, Cookies, Chex mix, drinks and some ultrasound pictures that decorated the table.

Pink & Blue sugar cookies

Yellow cupcakes with chocolate icing and blue cream filling

Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing and blue cream filling

Blue & Pink drinks for the kids

Everyone's guesses

 It's a .......

 BOY!!!

We had some balloons fly away and some tied down in the box.

I thought my pinkish color dress may throw everyone off - so excited to be having another little guy!

August's Mid-Month Update

Outside my window . . . it is absolutely beautiful!  I wish I could bottle up this warm sunshiny weather!

I am thinking . . . I love that my girls nap at the same time in the afternoon!  It's a lovely break for me and I get great one-on-one time with Hayden.

I am thankful for . . . ultrasounds!  Looks like we will be having a lot with this baby so it will be fun to see him/her so frequently! 

In the kitchen . . . my sink is full of dishes I need to hand wash - boo!

I am wearing . . . maternity jean capris and a brown maternity tshirt

I am creating . . . an assortment of things to make for our little gender reveal get-together on Saturday.  Sweets don't sound good to me so I'm having a hard time deciding what to make.  Maybe I'll just serve nachos and pizza...only joking - I'm planning on cupcakes, chocolate covered pretzels and maybe a chex mix.

I am going . . . bonkers trying to keep referring to baby #4 in gender neutral terms!  I had no idea it would be so hard to know and not accidentally say!  Just two more days, and the secret will be out!

I am wondering . . . what we will end up naming the new baby.  Kevin is picking the name this time and he's not really in any hurry to pick a name.  Maybe that's a mom thing?  Regardless, I'm having to practice patience, which is never a bad thing.

I am reading . . . I've given up my reading time at night and lately have been listening to old sermons from Brand New Church.  They have a free app (just type in 'Brand New Church') and their pastor is absolutely wonderful!  So entertaining to listen to! 

I am hoping . . . to go back to Smother's Park in Owensboro again soon!  It's beautiful and kid and dog friendly!

I am looking forward to . . . a visit from my sis in the next couple weeks!

I am hearing . . . the tv and cicadas outside

Around the house . . . there are toys strung out everywhere.  I would really enjoy and use a play room.  Maybe one day!

One of my favorite things . . . is watching my kids play and interact together. 

A few plans for the rest of the week . . .baking, party planning, errand running, and enjoying the weekend with my family - and if I just get lots of extra time, then I'll start working on some new dresses I've been wanting to make for the girls!

Half Way Point

This week marks the halfway point of this fourth pregnancy!  It seems to me like the more kids we have, the faster the pregnancy goes!  I have a doctors appointment tomorrow and, baby willing, we are hoping to find out the gender.  (We talked about not finding out, but having done that once, I like knowing what I'm expecting.  I feel like I bond more with the baby while it's in my belly {at least that's what I tell myself}).  Kevin and I talked about what we could do this time around so there was something new/different that we hadn't done with any of the other kiddos.  We chose to do a gender reveal party.  It's going to be small, I haven't even thought too much about details, but Saturday afternoon we are going to get family and some friends together to reveal and celebrate the gender of this baby.

If I had to guess right now what the gender was, I'd guess it's a boy, just based on foods I've wanted and symptoms I've had.  I'm not hoping for a boy over a girl.  People assume I want 2 boys and 2 girls to keep things even, but I'd be thrilled with another little girl.  I have told the kids all along (b/c Hayden really wants a brother and Allie really wants another sister) that God knows which we need and that is what he will give us.

Here's a little recap from the last several weeks...
 
Week 13:  We walked in our first Spencer County parade to support "Heilman for Sheriff" - (if you didn't know, my dad is running next year in Spencer County!)  I did a workout video faithfully for a week and it was really short lived.

Week 14:  Hayden told me today "Wow, your belly is getting huger!"  Thanks, son.  He actually really likes snuggling with my belly when it gets big, so I know he didn't mean it in an ugly way.  Kevin was off work this whole week and we made a quick trip to Little Rock, AR to help my sis and her family get moved.  Well, Kevin helped, I just stayed with the kids and visited when I could :)

Week 15:  I pretty much have outgrown my "regular" clothes and I'm most comfortable in my maternity stuff.  My hair is falling out like crazy.  I keep telling Kevin I'm afraid I'm going to go bald.  Kevin took my scale out of the bathroom and told me I wasn't allowed to weigh myself anymore.  I had the habit of doing it daily, but it's nice to not feel defeated first thing in the morning.  Sometimes those husbands really do know best! 

Week 16:  I baked for the first time in months.  Kevin really wanted chocolate chip cookies.  I ate a few, and they were great, but I had way more control than usual b/c sweets usually give me an instant headache.  Kevin sold the jeep this week and we are so so so close to being debt free except our house.  (He is driving the expedition now - it just makes sense to have two family friendly vehicles).

Week 17:  I felt like I was nesting in turbo mode this week.  We got a lot cleaned!  Too bad it didn't stay all put away and picked up.  Princess Kate had her baby boy this week.  Seems like everyone is having a boy - will we follow the trend?  Biggest news to report, I felt this little baby move! 

Week 18:  Kevin and I did major budgeting/planning this week.  We are hoping Kevin can take 3 weeks off work once this sweet little baby gets here.  I did some stroller research and I think I've found the prefect double stroller for us.  Once we save/buy/purchase this stroller, I'll give you my reviews on it :)  I had a strange craving for lemon poppy seed muffins.  I made them for breakfast one morning and after eating two, that craving was totally satisfied and I haven't wanted them since. 

Week 19:  Baby movement is daily now!  I don't remember feeling the others move this early, so I keep questioning if I'm not due sooner than they originally thought.  I found out this week there's a link between anemia (low iron) while pregnant and postpartum depression.  Why haven't I been educated on this before now?  I was anemic during my 1st and 3rd pregnancies and I definitely struggled with PPD.  I'm beefing up my iron intake the rest of the pregnancy and the few months after I give birth to hopefully prevent struggling with that again. 

Week 20:  My #1 craving has been pizza and breadsticks.  I really could eat this meal 3-4 days a week, and so could the kids, but Kevin isn't a fan of eating pizza every other day.  Boo.  I also have been enjoying nachos from Taco Bell usually once a week.  Hot ham and cheese, spicy General Tso chicken, BBQ, and cheesy potatoes have also been things this baby has wanted over the last couple months.

I'll post (hopefully this weekend) what the gender of this baby is! 

Allie's 3rd Birthday in photos

Allie had a great 3rd birthday yesterday!  She spent the day with family and played with her new gifts every minute we were home.  She did a pretty good job sharing all the new toys so Hayden & Krissy could play too.  We ate a quick lunch at Gattitown (didn't take my camera) then picked up balloons before her nap. Here's some pictures from our day yesterday.   

I woke her up at 8:45 (she's not normally a late sleeper)!

She loved her gifts from us... she got a toy car seat for her dolls, cupcake Duplos, a wooden pizza set, and a corduroy orange (her favorite color) jacket. 

Duplos have come a long way since I was a kid!

She requested homemade waffles for breakfast.

 

 

While Allie napped, Hayden made her a "go cart" for a birthday present.

Sophia cake for the birthday girl - I used an icing transfer sheet that I bought on Etsy.

Little pearl detail

Allie wasn't wanting to share the spotlight - or her balloons!

Trying on her new jacket for Mimi.

Sophia doll from Kevin's parents.  She actually took Hayden's advice and started opening gifts before the party started!  She only got one open before she was caught!

She loves books - a Sophia tea party book.

Tea set from Mimi.  Hayden jumped in to show her how to use it.  Not sure which one was more excited about it...

AdOrAbLe polka dot and striped dress from Aunt Whit and family.  Allie loved the blue belt!

Sophia movie and stickers from Uncle Tyty and family (they were sick and weren't able to come).

Ready to blow out her candle!

*Make a wish*

My parents

Kevin's parents

My little growing family :)

Two Weeks Complete!

On Monday, July 22, Hayden started his first day of kindergarten.  Since we chose to homeschool, our schedule can be really flexible.  We decided to start the school year early so we could take a few weeks off when Baby #4 arrives. 

We chose the Abeka curriculum.  We do 4 "subjects" a day:  phonics, writing, numbers, and bible stories.  Usually if I do the first three, Kevin will do the story with him.  He's a little bored with the numbers because they started off kind of slow.  Right now it's just counting to 10, which he's known how to do for a couple years.  The days worth of work usually takes us 45 minutes.  I've been told as the lessons go on, they get longer.  We start the school day promptly at 9am and are done before 10 so there's plenty of time to run errands or cook lunch - just whatever needs done!

Day #1 was fun.  We took pictures of Hayden to celebrate his first day of school.  He got a new caddy that was full of school supplies he'll need.  Allie was so excited too and keeps saying, "I want to do homeschool,"so I'm going to look for a little letter book for her to work on too.  While we are doing school we let her play in her room with toys or watch a Barney video (which is something she is really into right now).

Kevin is teaching a morning or two a week so Hayden will be use to either one of us. Kevin has also been great about making sure we are keeping the "learning" fun and upbeat.  I tend to get a little OCD about his writing and his best writing day was when Kevin was encouranging him and giving him high fives.  He actually didn't want to stop practicing letter "e". 

Throughout the day I'll quiz Hayden and ask him things we talked about - like, "What sound does i make?  What sound does u make?"  I love being hands on and knowing what he's learning.  It seems like a win win for all of us!