Baby Sister

We found out a few weeks  ago that "baby brother or baby sister" is, in fact, a BABY SISTER! We got the results along with good news of no genetic abnormalities, which was all very welcome news.

We told Nora by bringing home a pink teddy bear and some pink pajamas and explaining that it was a gift for her to give to her baby sister. I thought she'd react with excitement because she's been insisting forever that she wants a baby sister, but she didn't give us much of a reaction at all. I figure it's because she has "known" all along that this baby was a girl.

Today, we had the anatomy scan. It's incredible how they can look at the finer details of all of baby's parts and pieces from the brain to the bladder. Everything looked perfect, although they didn't get as good of a look at her heart due to her position and her "tap dancing" (as the tech put it), so they're going to take another peek at my next appointment in 3 weeks.

Here she is waving hello for Mommy and Daddy, who love her SO much already.

And here are her adorable little tap dancing feet.

And finally, here's a picture of my "almost half way there" baby bump.

Little girl's head is just above my belly button as of today. Yep, she's hanging out in breech position, but I'm not too concerned since 1. It's so early and there is lots of time and space for her to flip AND 2. I'll likely have a repeat c-section, anyway.

Finally, two little bits of baby wisdom from Nora:

To Ms. Tracy at daycare, "Baby sister is in mommy's belly. It's getting bigger and bigger. Soon, baby sister is going to fall out!"

She's going to be in for a rude awakening when she learns that babies don't just "fall" out ha!

Speaking to my belly, "Hi baby sister. It's me, Nora! I'm coming to rescue you."

I'm not sure what she thinks baby needs to be rescued from or how she plans to carry out her mission. Should I be nervous??

Anyway, we're looking forward to our next appointment and our next sneak peek at "baby sister".

Sharing our news

I'm so close to being in 2nd trimester, and we had a good NT scan this week, so we decided to share our news not only with any friends and family we hadn't yet told, but also with all of our social media friends on Facebook!

Hooray!

Brad and I definitely share Nora's enthusiasm.

Along with the NT scan, I had the Panorama blood draw done. In "approximately 10 business days", we will have a complete DNA analysis on this little one. That includes information about whether or not he or she may have some kind of genetic disorder (all signs point to no so far, thankfully) and it will also reveal whether baby is a boy baby or a girl baby! Nora has not wavered. She insists it is a baby sister, and I'm starting to believe her.

I also took another picture recently of my bulging belly. The jury is out on how much this is actually related to baby, but considering my belly looks now like it did at 20 weeks with Nora, I'm going to act as though it is.

I wish I could say that now that I'm almost 13 weeks that I was feeling so much better, but I'm still dealing with the constant mild nausea and fatigue. I think with Nora, I started to feel better between 13 and 14 weeks. Or was it 14 and 15? I 'm not sure, but I'm hoping that the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is almost in sight!

Wiggly Worm

Today we got to see our little Wiggle Worm again, and s/he has changed so much already.  Baby was showing off by kicking and flipping all over the place, and s/he had a very strong heart rate of 175. Nora's was always in the 150s and 160s, so I was surprised at how high it was. I asked the ultrasound tech if it was ok to be so high, and she assured me that it was in a very healthy range.

Several people have told us that a 2nd pregnancy wouldn't be as exciting as the 1st, but that hasn't been our experience at all. In a way, it's almost more exciting for us because now we know what is waiting for us at the other end. Before Nora, we had no idea what that unconditional love that a parent has for their child felt like, and it was much greater than we could have imagined. Knowing how much love we will have (already have!) for this baby is pretty amazing now that it is no longer uncharted territory.

My next appointment is on July 17th. That's when I'll have the 1st trimester screening that includes the NT scan and the Harmony blood panel. This is something that is offered to patients who are in a "high risk" category. For me, that high risk category is my "advanced maternal age".  We have faith that we will learn that baby is healthy, but we want to have as much information as possible, no matter what the results may be.

Ultrasound and Belly Pic #1

We finally had our first ultrasound on Friday, and it was awesome! We got to see our new little gummy bear and a strong, healthy heart beat.

His or her heart rate was 160 beats per minute and s/he was measuring right on track! According to my chart, I was 7 weeks 4 days on the day of the ultrasound. One of the measurements put baby at 7w6d and the other at 8w1d. Since none of the dates are more than a week off from each other, the doctor is setting my due date according to my chart, which puts this baby's eviction date as January 26th, 2015.

After the ultrasound, we met with Dr. Tatum who did my c-section with Nora. He did such an amazing job during labor and then surgery last time, that I'm very thankful to be seeing him again. He was happy for us, and he even gave me a hug when he congratulated me. He gave me the "advanced maternal age" spiel, and he assured me that he was as confident as he could be based on statistics that this would be a healthy pregnancy.

We talked about how my friend the fibroid is back, and I have pretty much decided that I will opt for a repeat c-section, which means that this little one is probably going to enter this world a little earlier than its due date. Maybe around the 20th instead of the 26th of January.

In two weeks, I have another appointment, and at that time, we'll schedule my first trimester screening (NT scan ultrasound and blood tests that each look for genetic abnormalities) which will take place at UT somewhere between 12 and 14 weeks gestation.

I caved and took my first bedroom mirror belly pic selfie today. Of course, I'm not showing yet, but I started taking pictures early with Nora, so I wanted to do the same this time. A flowy shirt and maxi skirt probably wasn't the best choice for this kind of photo, but there will be plenty of time to see that bulging belly grow and grow.... and grow.

We have started sharing our news with family and close friends, privately, and we expect to go "public" mid-July after the first trimester screening is complete and we get, hopefully, a clean bill of health. Everyone is very happy and excited for us, as expected. I know we'll have lots of love and support over the next 7 months and beyond as we bring #2 into the world.

Feeling Pregnant

Those first couple of weeks of bliss have breezed by, and now I'm smack dab in the middle of first trimester symptoms.  I love this baby dearly, but I could really do without the around-the-clock nausea.

I'm going to fill out my first "pregnancy questionnaire". I will do these periodically over the next 7.5 months.

How far along? 6 weeks 3 days

Maternity clothes? Nah, not yet, though it is tempting. I did buy some maxi skirts and flowy tank tops for summer.

Sleep? I had a few nights when I couldn't sleep at all, but the last couple were fine. The biggest hurdle to me getting a good night's sleep is this baby's big sister.

Food cravings? Tomato juice, cheese and crackers, dill pickles.  I am a pregnant cliche.

What I miss? Excessive amounts of diet coke. Not feeling ill all day long.

What I'm looking forward to? My 1st ultrasound next week. Friday the 13th. My lucky day!

I've left out many of the typical questions because it's just too early to talk about weight gain or movement or signs of labor, but I know all of those things will come with time, and I (mostly) look forward to them.

Here We Go Again!

Last night, we got the best news. Baby #2 is on his or her way! We are so excited/nervous/excited to add one more little person to our family.  We can't wait for Nora to have a little sister or brother and for this little one to have Nora as a big sister.

It looks like my expected due date is January 26th, 2015. I know from last time that it will take forever to get here, and it will also be here in the blink of an eye.

I took these 2 tests this morning. You can see a faint second line on the first one, and a make-no-mistake YES on the other.

I am sure that these are just 2 of many tests I will take in the coming week or so until I settle in to this pregnancy.

We are thrilled knowing that this little one, whoever he or she may be, will complete our family in the most perfect way.