Nuchal Translucency

Well yesterday I went to the doctor's appointment unfortunately by myself, but none the less optimistic. I waited for about 15 minutes before they could get me in and when they did they just started right in. The baby was very still when I first got in there and I was really worried because this was the first time I had seen it and it wasn't doing ANYTHING! I asked the lady why it wasn't moving and she said, "Just give it a second." So of course once the lady started rubbing the thing over my stomach area, the "wee one" decided to wake up and go absolutely CRAZY! It looked like the little thing was on a trampoline! The first thing it did was show its butt to the world and then flip over to the other side which unfortunately made it impossible to get the picture they were looking for.
Now aside from being really excited about finally seeing our baby, the real reason we were there was to get screened for Down Syndrome, Trisomy 18 & 21 and any cardiac malformations. I didn't realize BEFORE I went that in order to get the picture of the back of the baby's neck (the fold that they measure) the baby had to be in a perfect position (like laying in a hammonck). It is funny how the things that you read really don't tell you the WHOLE truth; I just thought that they were able to measure this by just seeing the baby, but all the sources I had read hadn't told me any different. The doctor did tell me that we could come back and they could do it again (the success rate of getting that PERFECT PICTURE is only 70%), but we decided that we will wait until the 20 week sonogram where they measure everything anyway. We figure that if the Lord wants us to have a child with one of those disabilities then it is obviously for good reason and we will learn at 20 weeks and then prepare from that point. On the very optimistic side, I got to thinking about all the things that tend to point to things like Down Syndrome and luckily we have no family history, my husband and I are young and in good health, so it honestly seems like the odds are in our favor. But of course like the doctor explained yesterday, a 1 in 5000 chance doesn't mean that you are totally out of the scope of things because you could always be that ONE. So in reality we are just going to pray our hearts out and know that our family and friends are doing the same and keep our fingers crossed for the best. But I am happy that i went in and got to actually SEE the "wee one." It never really sank in until yesterday that there really was a baby in there and that things were going well!! Well I guess that is about it for today. Have a great weekend! Diana

First Images of the "Wee One"

Well here are the first images of our "wee one." It was hilarious when we got in the sonogram room the baby was perfectly still in the correct position and then once that thing started moving over it, it went absolutely nuts! It seemed to tell the technician that she wasn't going to get the picture she wanted because it stuck its butt right in the way and then flipped over and never turned back around. So I am guessing that it will probably be stubborn like its dad!! :) But in two out of the three pictures it is showing its backside which must be its best side at the moment! Well, I will write tomorrow during nap time and let you know how the Nuchal Translucency screening went. Diana

Our First Big Step Towards Parenthood

Well this weekend we decided to take our first big step into parenthood by purchasing a FAMILY VEHICLE! We had known for a while that we were going to need to buy a larger car since my 2-door Grand Am didn't fit the mold of a "baby-mobile!" We purchased an '06 Tahoe that is niced equipped and it was fun to imagine a wee one in the backseat in the months to come! We also reached another milestone this weekend and that was passing the first trimester mark. I can't explain how nice it is to know that we have made it up to this point. Hopefully all the great things I hear about the second and third trimester will begin to happen soon; no puking would be great! We go on Thursday for the Nuchal Translucency test and we are praying and keeping our fingers crossed that all comes out well. We know regardless that this little bundle of joy will brighten our lives but we are just wanting to be educated parents if need be. Well I don't really have much else to say for now. Just patiently waiting until Thursday and hopefully we will finally get to see the wee one! It will be nice to see this thing growing inside of me instead of just knowing that it is there. (SEEING IS BELIEVING!) Well have a great day and week! Diana

Things That Get Ya' Thinkin'!

I think about the things that have happened in my life in the past year and I can't begin to describe how grateful I am for all of the blessings. This baby has been one of the biggest blessings but I received some news about a cousin who wasn't so lucky with her pregnancy. It really got me thinking about how things work. Us (me and Thad) have KNOWN each other for almost two years unlike my cousin and her husband who have KNOWN AND DATED each other for over FIVE YEARS and yet WE are the ones who have so far been "luckier"; how strange, right?! It just occurred to me that pregnancy and life in general are such great chances that we take to make ourselves vulnerable to the possibility of the things that COULD and sometimes DO go wrong. But who really wants to think about all the negative before considering having a baby?! I mean if you start thinking about all of those things, well it's liable to scare the crap out of you and turn you away from the whole idea of ever having children. I didn't realize all of the things that MUST BE RIGHT for a woman to become pregnant, nor the chances and risks it really takes to go through nine months of harboring a new life. It makes me feel guilty to some extent that we are the ones who got "lucky"(so far) and that they are dealing with such heartache. What do you say to a person who has just lost a baby and you are carrying one? I think that is the hardest predicament I am right now because though my cousin and I are not as close as either would probably hope, there is still that family connection and that desire to comfort a loved one when they are in pain.
So that is where I stand right now. We have decided to go ahead and do the Nuchal Translucency screening a week from today so hopefully all will go well. The way we looked at it was that it is better to have too many eggs in the basket than not enough. We know also that this is just a screening and that it isn't going to be a 100%, so no matter what it seems like a positive to us. We are just the type of people who would rather be too prepared for something than get slapped in the face. But that is where we are right now. It still is frustrating because I have yet to gain any real weight and there is no "BUMP" yet. I am just ready to start showing so that people can quit looking at me like, "Are you sure she is really pregnant?!" Well I am glad that I could get some of that stuff off my shoulders. Diana

New to blogging

I am new to this whole blogging thing but I keep reading that it is a great way to document things like pregnancy so that is why I am going to try it. I am a 23 year-0ld wife and teacher and soon to be mom! My husband and I have been married almost 7 months and pregnant for almost 3 of those! I am in my 11th week of my first pregnancy and let me tell you, it has been a crazy adventure. We found out on Christmas morning that I was pregnant. We had been trying for a couple of months and while he was off at work that morning I peed on a stick and it came back proof positive! We told our families thereafter and needless to say everyone was pretty pumped about welcoming the first grandbaby on both sides! Going home for the holidays was great because I was only a few weeks along so no symptoms has shown their ugly face. At about 6 weeks I started feeling nauseous but no real puking; well not soon after that the real fun stuff began. A few weeks ago I hated this whole pregnancy thing! I was sick constantly, couldn't stand the smell of food cooking and really just wasn't enjoying this "life changing experience!"
We went to the doctor when I was around 7 weeks along and did the fun nurse visit where they tell you all you have already read in those handy pregnancy books! (Of course the free stuff was welcomed!) We went back on Valentine's Day for our visit with THE DOCTOR and of course the physical exam! (My husband couldn't believe that a woman did this once a year every year!) We heard the little one's heartbeat (158 bpm) and it absolutely took our breath away! It was the most amazing thing that one can possibly imagine! We signed up to do Nuchal Translucency screening on the baby next week. I am really on the fence about this screening for the simple fact that a friend of mine told me yesterday that 70% of the results come back as false-positives for things such as Down Syndrome, Trisomy 18 and 21. I don't know what to do?! If anyone has any advice, please send it my way! I am not worried about the actual procedure (an ultrasound and then bloodwork) or the results, but would it be worth the worry if it was a false-positive?! So many questions and so little answers! But that is about where we are at this stage! This blogging this is pretty great, it will be my naptime release!! Well chat later! Diana