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!

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! 

Surprise x 4!

I guess it's time to make it blog official... We are expecting Baby Devine #4!  Should I have told you to sit down first?  It was a surprise to us too, but we are thrilled about this little surprise baby!  Life in the Devine house is already borderline crazy, so what's one more baby, right?!  As my friend Deanna likes to say, "We embrace crazy at this house!"

Here's a timeline of events from the last couple months!

I started weight watchers on April 18 - 4 days before I found out I was expecting.

6 Weeks from LMP: April 22 - I had just laid the girls down for their afternoon nap.  I was worn out and decided to sit on the couch with Hayden.  I dozed off for a few minutes and when I woke up I felt like I was having a hot flash and my heart was racing.  I checked my resting heart rate (which always increases when you are pregnant) and realized mine was up about 10bmp.  I figured I'd go quickly take a pregnancy test before the girls woke up and just rule out the thought that I could be pregnant.  I had told myself over and over that I wasn't so when my test showed two pink lines, I about lost it.  My mom happened to call as I was watching the lines show up, so I had to act calm, cool, and collected.  Needless to say, she had no idea. 

I had about 6 hours to decide how to tell Kevin when he got home from work.  We had just got some pictures of our kids back from my cousin Lacey and I wrote captions on one picture.  I had Hayden's caption say,  "Guess what Daddy?", and Allie's said, "#4 is on the way!!!"  He looked at the picture before reading it and asked if Lacey added the words.  I said, "Did you read it?"  So he read it and was SO SHOCKED!

Lots of questions (should we move sooner than we anticipated?).  Lots of unexpected expenses (we will need another crib!).  Lots of unknowns (boy or girl, will this be a Christmas baby, how will it effect the holiday season for us, etc).  We both felt so at peace though.  We felt like this baby was part of our plan, even though we hadn't planned it.  It's truly the best surprise I've ever had in my life.

I really had no symptoms, other than I was tired.  I hadn't been sleeping well but didn't think much of it.  I did have a pounding headache one day that I couldn't seem to get any relief from, but I blamed it on the lack of sugar from starting Weight Watchers.

Kevin's face is him reacting to the news!  Priceless!

Week 7 prego:  First real craving = Pizza Chef pizza... been wanting lots of cheese.  We had our first doctor's appointment (horribly rude ultrasound tech) and found out I was 7 weeks pregnant instead of 9, like I had calculated.  We ran into my old boss in the parking lot, and told her we were expecting, but made sure she knew not to tell anyone!  Heartbeat was 140 bmp, & got bloodwork done.  I'm due January 1st, and I'm going to do everything possible to hold off to deliver on that day!  A new years baby would be exciting.  I've officially quit Weight Watchers.

Week 8:  Lots of headaches and I haven't been sleeping well.  I've been craving baked potatoes with cheese, broccoli, and bacon (I could really eat it everyday) and craving sprite.  I got a little weepy over wanting Chinese and my favorite place was closed for the day.

Week 9: We bought a minivan.  Seemed very practical and I already love it.  Headaches are frequent but thankful I don't have any nausea.  I feel very certain I know the gender of this baby based on cravings and symptoms.  Kevin is picking out the baby's name.  My sister-in-law started to question why I stopped my diet, bought a van, and wanted a sprite (I don't normally drink any sodas) and asked if I was pregnant.  I lied and said no!  Kevin is ready to tell, but I'm trying to get him to wait another couple weeks (after my next doctor's appointment)! 

Week 10:  No nausea to report as of yet, but the headaches are still frequent.  My pooch is getting harder to hide!  I need to invest in more loose shirts.  I started wearing some maternity shorts this week and they are so much more comfortable than regular shorts!  Still wanting meat, cheese, sprite, & potatoes... and occasionally Laffy Taffy - grape or banana!

Week 11:  Had my first doctor's appointment with my OB.  She had trouble finding the heartbeat with the dopplar (due to the baby's position), so she brought in a mini ultrasound machine.  I got to see Baby bouncing and moving and got to see the little heart beating.  Everything looked great.  I set a date for our 20 week ultrasound - August 19th!  We're definitely finding out the sex this time!

Week 12:  It's official - all the family knows, and we are in the process of telling friends!  We told the kids on a Saturday morning, and no one seemed to process it.  We told Kevin's parents at lunch that day and they were very surprised.  Sunday morning walking into church, Hayden told the greeter I had a baby in my belly.  I thought it was cute, but was slightly worried he was going to spill the beans to the entire church for us - so we quickly pulled him aside and told him we weren't telling the rest of the family until that evening, so he had to keep the secret a little longer.  He did - and we told my family on Father's Day after dinner. I also came across some Bazooka Joe bubble gum at Cracker Barrel this week that made me really happy! 

Hello 2nd Trimester!  I hope I find my energy, and nesting instinct!  Kevin's been great about picking up my slack around the house.  He's also so sweet to take care of any cravings I have.  The kids are doing so well about napping in the afternoons so momma can catch a much needed power nap!  I have been horrible about taking belly pictures, so maybe I'll get better about that during the 2nd trimester!

Pregnant BFFS

I'm thinking it was in March when I got the text from Amy (my BFF) saying she was pregnant.  I was still really early in my pregnancy (I'm thinking 8-9 weeks) and I was THRILLED because we always talked about how fun it would be to have babies at the same time. 

This is Amy's 4th baby.  She has 3 adorable boys that NEED a little sister!  Amy doesn't find out what she is having, but I think this pregnancy is so different from her first 3 and I think she is carrying different than she did with her boys!  All her boys had lower heart beats (120s-130s) and this baby has had a very high heart beat (140s-160s).  She was very sick/nauseous the first trimester, which also never happened with her boys.  I'm convinced she's having an "Emma" this time, but she still is thinking it's a boy.

My due date is Sept 26th, and her's (right now) is October 31.  She has an ultrasound next week because her doctor thinks she may be further along than what they originally guessed.  If they move her due date up a few weeks (which I'm hoping for) there's a chance we could have these babies at the same time!  How.Fun.Would.That.Be?!

She came over for a visit Sunday night and we took some belly pictures together.  I think our bellies look a lot alike, so I think we'll end up having the same thing.  I think we are both having girls; she thinks we are both having boys.  We are both fine with either one, but we want to know what you think we are having!

My normal pose...

Amy's normal pose...

Back to back - and I think our bellies look identical!

Amy has been craving sugar cookies this whole pregnancy so I made her some when she came to visit!  (Pink icing in hopes she's having a girl!)

Lunchmeat While Pregnant

I have REALLY been wanting hot ham and cheese sandwiches!  They sound good about every day for lunch, and even for dinner, but I try to limit myself to one a day.  I had heard you weren't supposed to eat lunch meat while you are pregnant and I wondered just how true that was.  (I just avoided it my first 2 pregnancies because it never really sounded good anyways.)  I did some investigating and found out about a little bacteria called Listeria.  The article said several thousand people get very sick from this bacteria every year, but women that are pregnant have the worst complications (miscarriage, preterm labor, or even death - yikes!).  BUT if you heat your lunch meat until it's steaming, that will kill the bacteria and it's safe to eat!  Good thing I like HOT ham and cheese and not cold ham and cheese!!!  I feel safe to indulge in what Baby wants now :)
P.S. My all time favorite ham and cheese is from Sams Pizzeria on the west side.  It's a little hole in the wall place but all the food is fantastic there!!!

Bedding

I promise not to make every post from now on about Baby, but I'm still on a high from our good check up yesterday! :)  I'm also really embracing this idea of not finding out the sex.  Last night while I was baking away, I started thinking about Baby's room.  There is a crib set that I've loved since I was pregnant with Hayden.  You can still find it new online, and I'm almost convinced this will be Baby's bedding!  It's called Alaphabet Soup.  I love the bright colors and it's very gender neutral!  Kevin tried to convince me we should use a Jeep theme, but that's not going to happen!  I'm probably going to look and make sure there is nothing I like better, but I have a sneaky suspicion this will be the one I, I mean we, choose!

Surprise!

I have kept a secret for 33 days!  That's pretty hard for me to do, especially when it's a good secret that I'm excited about.  On January 20th, I took a positive pregnancy test!  That was just 5 weeks after my recent miscarriage and I was shocked/surprised/floored/worried... I pretty much felt every emotion those next few days!  The same day I took the positive test, I called my doctor and had blood work done.  That Friday my hCG (pregnancy hormone) was 100 and the next Monday it went to 523.  What a relief (it's supposed to double every 48 hours)!  I was hesitant on letting myself get too excited, but I was definitely feeling drained and out of energy all day, everyday and thanked God for that!  I knew it was a good sign.  Today confirmed the positive news.  We had our first ultrasound and got to see our little kidney bean moving around in my uterus.  Hearing that heart beat (which was 175) calmed any doubt of fear in me.  I know we are still early in the pregnancy... I will be 9 weeks tomorrow, but what a surprise and a blessing!

That little ring above baby isn't a halo, although that's what it looks like.  It's the yolk sac. 

Something we have decided to do different this go around...... we aren't going to find out the sex!  For any of you that know me well, I'm sure you think that's impossible, but Kevin, my BFF Amy, and my good friend Sarah have all convinced me it's the way to go!  We already have just about everything we need - girl or boy!  I already have my guess on what the baby is, but I'm going to keep my mouth shut - starting now :)

I also said I wasn't going to gain another 50lbs this pregnancy, buuuuut it seems my body goes into starvation mode for 9 months and I have a hard time convincing myself I don't need 12 oreos, or a super-sized chocolate milkshake, or that basket of hot wings.... Maybe blogging will help me keep the weight down!  My goal is to gain no more than 40lbs!  Let's see if I can do it!  If not, no big deal... it's all come off after I had Hayden and Allie so I'm (going to try) not to beat myself up about it.

I'm due Septmber 26.........expect many more posts about cravings/mood swings/and preparing for #3 to come! :)