George Tucker @ 32 weeks

Sometimes I sit and think (in all my ample bed rest time) back on this pregnancy and what it has been like for Mac and I.  It definitely has not been easy or without worry but I am grateful for all the little "scares" along the way and how they have turned out.  I think we are stronger as individuals and I've definitely had a taste of what it means to be a mother and to want nothing more than your baby's health and happiness.  I can only imagine how that amplifies over the years as they learn and grow and you have less and less control over what happens in their little lives.  I am eternally grateful for the chance to be a mother and that despite all the curve balls mother nature has thrown at our little guy, that he just keeps fighting back and won't give up. :)  We can't wait to meet you in a couple of months Georgie!!

One of the benefits of our 20 week scare with baby George's heart is that we have been able to go to a maternal fetal medicine specialist for fetal EKG's every few weeks.  His heart has looked perfect since that initial irregular heart beat at my 20 week check up and his first EKG.  We are so so so grateful for that, and have benefitted from getting to have ultrasounds at 20 weeks, 22 weeks, 26 weeks, and now 32 weeks.

Here are some of his stats from our last and final fetal EKG on Friday:

1. His heart looks perfect.  The Dr. can't explain what was going on at 20 weeks but she hasn't seen any more irregularities since then and structurally his heart is perfect.  We graduated from seeing her and don't have any more appointments scheduled.  YAY!!

2. He has hair!!  Yep, we could see it on the ultrasound and our little man isn't going to be a little baldy.  I was actually surprised, for some reason I just pictured him bald, but I'm super excited that he will have some hair when he makes his arrival.  I wonder what color it will be??

3. At 32 weeks and 2 days he weighed in at 4lbs 1 oz and is in the 26th percentile.  I was actually pretty surprised that he wasn't in like the 80th percentile since Mac and I were both huge babies.  If they drop below the 10th percentile that isn't good, but the Dr. said he is perfectly healthy and looking good!

4. Baby boy finally got the memo and turned head down!! Yep, he is no longer breech and we are just keeping our fingers crossed that he won't get any crazy ideas and flip back again.

5.  The umbilical cord is still around his neck but looks loose.  I just get to continue being hyper-aware of his movements and making sure that he is active.  I know that umbilical cord accidents are fairly rare and that 30% of babies are born with the cord around their necks, but this kiddo just likes to make things difficult, so I'm not taking any chances!  I am again so grateful that he is so active (even though sometimes its a little uncomfortable.)  Most times if I haven't felt him in a while and I start thinking about his movements and he gives me a good hard kick like he's saying "Hey mom, I'm still here and I'm just fine."

That little turkey had both hands and a foot covering his face for most of the ultrasound.  It cracks me up how he positions himself in my belly--last time he was completely folded in half--both feet right up by his face.  All he would show us was his cute litte forehead until.........

He finally moved!  It still isn't a great picture because the umbilical cord was in front of his lips and his face was smashed up against the uterine wall (yeah, that is why his nose looks so big!!) but we still think he looks pretty cute. 

Sometimes dogs are just weird!

It was another BEAUTIFUL sunny day in Anchorage today so mac packed up my reclining camping chair and we headed to Jewel Lake to bask in the sunlight.  I swear this is one of the only things keeping me going as I sit cooped up inside all day long.  Just sitting and being outside is one of my absolute favorite things to do so I jump at any chance I have to be out in nature.

Of course we took our sweet little Bobby with us (he is really sweet unless you are a kid trying to grab at him or another dog...then he doesn't like you).  He just makes us laugh so hard and I had to share a couple of his little quirks.

The dog LOVES chasing geese.  I'm not sure what it is about them, but he will pick a goose out of a bunch of birds around him, wait until it least suspects him, and then take of after it barking till it flies away.  Then he runs back to us and waits for the goose to get back on land, and it starts all over again.  Today at Jewel Lake there was a goose minding its own business in the water, and that little dog would watch and wait until it got a few feet onto land and then terrorize it.  I was laughing so hard it made my stomach hurt and would trigger a contraction so I had to cool it.

This next one is just plain weird to me, and I wonder if any other dogs have this strange obsession?  I first discovered it during "break up" (the 5th season in Alaska where all the 11 feet of snow melt and it is just a slushy watery yucky mess for a few weeks).  I was taking Bobby out for a walk and he was sniffing away as usual.  He got really interested in something he found, and then started rubbing his face and neck on the ground.  I pulled him away to look at what he was doing, and what did I find!!??  A nasty dead worm!!  Yep, the dog thinks its his favorite brand of cologne or something, because anytime we are out and about (today included) he sniffs out the worms, and then rubs his face in it.  Totally grosses me out!!

And last but not least, Bobby has become quite the little chunker.  When we adopted him last december he weighed a mere 12 pounds.  Still huge for a Chihuahua, but small compared to his last weigh in at the vet a few days ago.  The dog now weighs almost 18 pounds!  Yikes buddy, you are becoming quite the little fatty!  We are restricting his soft food diet since that is probably why he has gained all the weight.  He doesn't like his hard food much and seems to be going on a hunger strike, but if you hand feed the hard food to him, he'll eat it. :)  I guess he is just getting me ready to have a picky little eater when Baby George gets here.

And because a blog post is boring without a picture, here's Bobby and me soaking in some rays behind our apartment building.  Slightly ghetto, I know, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Baby Mama Drama

Day 1 in OB Triage (Saturday night)

A lot of you have already read about the baby excitement/scares lately via facebook status updates from the hospital, but I figured while I'm laying in bed at home on bed rest, I might as well get my thoughts out on the blog so I can look back on these crazy days.

A week ago wednesday I had my 30 week check up with my doctor, and I remember telling him "I feel great!!  I know the third trimester is supposed to be the worst but I feel the best I've felt and some days don't even feel like I'm pregnant (well, until I look in the mirror of course)".  I have had so much energy and the baby has been doing well and gosh, I just felt like life was great.  A few days later on Saturday I went to a service project for youth conference and came home to rest afterwards.  I realized the baby hadn't been moving much (which I am hyper-aware of because he has the cord around his neck, so I have to do kick counts every hour) so I went to lay down so I could focus on making sure he was active and healthy.  Once I laid down I started realizing that I was having more contractions than just the normal Braxton Hicks.  As soon as I laid down I counted 3 in 12 minutes, and then 12 in an hour (if you have more than 3 an hour you are supposed to get checked out in OB Triage).  I called OB Triage, gave them my story, was told that if it continued for another hour to come in.  Sure enough it did and we had our first OB Triage Visit.

I don't know if I can even describe the feelings I had on our drive to the hospital and the first few hours we were there.  I felt like I couldn't catch my breath.  My heart was racing and I was so scared.  I just kept thinking that after everything we went through to finally have our baby boy on the way that we deserved to have him come healthy at 40 weeks.  That thinking wasn't getting me anywhere so I prayed for comfort and to pleaded for our baby to be okay, one way or another.  If there is one thing I've learned in the past few years it is that the Lord has a plan for me, and I am not in charge, so I might as well get on board and just have a little faith.  After that the experience became less terrifying and more spiritual.  I felt comfort and knew that one way or another, it would all work out. Most of the time I can be so stubborn, but I'm slowly learning to let go and rely on the Lord.

Lots of tests later they couldn't explain why I was having contractions.  They got to where they were three minutes apart, but thankfully I was not dilating.  I was not dehydrated, which would have been an easy enough fix if that were the problem.  They said that a lot of times infection can cause early contractions like mine, but again, all the tests came back negative.  They did a test for pre-term labor which came back negative, meaning that I very likely would not have the baby in the next two weeks.  That was some of the best news ever!  They gave me some medication to stop the contractions, and sent me home around 11pm. 

Mac's chair was broken and he couldn't get it to recline.  Around 2 am that can be a pretty disappointing discovery.

Taking Pictures of ourselves somehow helped to pass the early morning hours.  I won't post anymore....they are pretty hideous. :)

7am the next morning (sunday) I was having contractions again so back we went.  Same story.  More tests.  More questions, and still no answers.  They gave me medication in the hospital again, stopped the contractions, and this time sent me home with a prescription for the most awful medication ever. I took it for about 12 hours and just had to stop.  It made me so so sick.  Heart racing, hard to breathe, horrible headache, shaky and jittery, and body aches all over.  I knew the side effects when they gave it to me but I don't think I was prepared for how it would really make me feel.  I was so worried about the baby, because if the medication was doing that to me, what was it doing to my baby?  He did seem overly active and I got so worried that it was making him feel this way too.  I called my Dr. and got approval to stop taking it.  

Day 2 in OB Triage (Sunday Morning)  I really like the hospital water and ice.  It just tastes soooo good!

Monday morning I went in for a check up with my doctor and they wanted me to go to triage again to be monitored.  They gave me a different medication this time that was amazing, stopped my contractions and made my horrible awful headache go away.  I was very thankful for that.  Baby's heart beat was strong, still not dilating, went home....again.

 

Day 3 in OB Triage (Monday morning).  I love subway and was really glad they had one right in the hospital for lunch!  And yes, I know I look awful.  This was at the height of the "sick from the medications" phase.

I went home and did some work.  Bobby was the best secretary ever and sooooo snuggly.  He is a cuddly dog anyway but I think he could tell I needed to be comforted.

Tuesday I didn't even go in to the hospital!  I just laid in bed and was still having 5 contractions an hour (if I had six an hour I had to go back in and I really didn't want to!)  I just took it easy and had my first 24 hours with no trip to the hospital.

 Wednesday the contractions had slowed down so I went into work.  My job is pretty chill for the most part and I just sat at my desk and didn't do much.  The contractions gradually started up again so I went home and laid down, but by 11pm I'd had two hours of 6 contractions an hour and we went back to the hospital.  By the time we got to the hospital the contractions were 3 minutes apart and I was so frustrated!!  (ask mac, I was in a really bad mood/scared/frustrated/didn't know what to do)  They did one more test for a different infection (we'll get those results in a week or so) gave me a new medication, and sent me home with a different prescription.  This one I take every 6 hours until I'm 36 weeks, and then I guess it is fair game for the baby to come whenever he feels like it.  So far it has been working pretty well, although I've only been on it for 24 hours.  I'm still having contractions but they range from 2-5 an hour (still in the safe zone).  I feel less worried than I did initially and I think the Lord is answering my prayers because the baby has been so active the last few days, and every time I get kicked really hard I am so grateful because at least I don't have to worry about him being okay.  Sometimes it looks like my belly is doing the wave while he is moving around, and I think that is something that I am really going to miss once he comes.  I love that connection I feel to him and feeling him kick back when I push his little foot back in.  He is stubborn (just like his parents) and he is definitely a fighter.  We love you baby boy and can't wait to meet you......hopefully in at least five more weeks.

Celebrating making it to 31 weeks!!

Sometimes I'm surprised when I go out in the middle of the night and it is still light outside.  I mean, I know it is light after I go to bed, but actually going outside and seeing just HOW light it is surprises me.  This was at 11pm on our way to the hospital.  On our way home at 4am it looked about the same.

Day 4 in OB Triage (Wednesday night/Thursday morning).  Still loving the ice and water.

Poor Mac was such a trooper. He is always creative in finding solutions to problems.......and this problem was a sleeping position.  He made me laugh even though I was in a bad mood about being back in the hospital.  Love you honey!

Bobby-isms

I have seen a lot of my friends post about their kiddos and share all the funny things they do and say, and I think it is such a great idea to help remember those little moments.  Obviously Mac and I don't have a kid quite yet, but we do have a dog, and he is hilarious.  He made me laugh so hard today that I had tears in my eyes.  So here is Bobby's "bobby-ism" for the day:

Since Mac is out of town Bobby and I have been spending a lot of quality time together.  (he is actually laying on the bed next to me right now snoring away.) This morning I was on the computer writing some emails and bobby was just sitting at my feet staring longingly up at me so I let him jump up on my lap while I typed.  After a few minutes he started growling, and the growling was getting louder and louder.  I couldn't figure out what in the world he was growling at until I noticed him staring intently into the mirror.  I stood up with him in my arms so he could get a better look at himself in the mirror and he started full on barking at himself.  It might have been one of those "you had to be there" moments, but I was dying.  A little while later he saw himself again and did it all over.  I wish I had a video camera out to catch it!

Baby BOY Brady is on the way!

I don't even know where to start.  I guess I can start with the basics.  Our sweet little baby boy is due on July 26, 2012 and we absolutely could not be happier!  It was a long tough emotional difficult and strengthening experience to finally have him on the way.  This experience alone has strengthened me and brought me closer to my Heavenly Father than ANY other experience in my entire life.  I can't say thank you enough to the many friends and family members who were a shoulder to cry on month after month and gave so many words of encouragement.

For the backstory on our struggle with infertility read here: http://macandjaime.blogspot.com/2011/10/noteworthy-notes-about-life-in-alaska.html

After 13 months of infertility, I often still find it hard to believe that there is a little person growing inside of me (although that is getting harder and harder to deny.) I'm now 14 weeks along and I can feel my body stretching and I can definitely see my belly starting to poke out.   At our ultrasound yesterday we got to see our little guy bouncing around and waving his arms.  THAT made it very very real and I don't think I stopped smiling all day long!  They were doing some tests and that little stinker had his head wedged way down in the right corner of my uterus, so we got to watch him for 30 minutes till he finally moved from that spot so they could get the measurements they needed.  I was cheering him on as I was loving all the time we got to have to watch him on the screen.

When we first got to our ultrasound the ultrasound tech said he "might" be able to tell us the sex of the baby, but it was really early.  So after one glance he said he was pretty sure we were having a boy.  Then as the ultrasound went on it progressed to "I'm 95% sure you guys are having a boy!"  So, I guess we could have a really big surprise at our next ultrasound in 4 weeks and find out we are having a girl, but I think we've both felt like it was a boy all along.

So now I get to enjoy the "honeymoon" phase of pregnancy, or the 2nd trimester.  I don't know that it will be much different from my first trimester since I was never sick, and my only real symptoms were being hungry 24-7 and tired just as much.  Here are some pictures to enjoy from our ultra long ultrasound and our pregnancy photo shoot the day we found out we were prego!

A Tail of Forbidden Love

This is Bobby, (you have to click on the picture to see the whole thing) he is a delightful young dog from the Clan Chihuahua. I first laid eyes on this strapping young man last week as part of my ritualistic combing of the internets in order to find a dog to buy/adopt. Bobby was given up by his owner-I assume because the dude couldn't handle such a rock n roll hound-and is being held hostage by an organization known as Friends of Pets.

Now I know you may be thinking right now that any organization with the word "friend" in its title has to be legitimate, but the process they make you go through in order to even have a chance to look at the animals they have in their facility (read prison) would make you think otherwise. It seriously is easier to adopt a kid than one of the dogs they have; it might even cost about the same too. Anyway, I filled out the required paperwork and submitted electronically a few days ago and now our file is being reviewed by one of the cronies that work there. There were several sections in the application where the applier is encouraged to elaborate on his or her answers, so I laid it on thick. I utilized every scrap of writing ability I learned throughout my college years and applied them to this application. When they get done reading it, I'll bet you dollars to donuts that they think Jaime and are aristocratic, or possibly Democratic.

Now it's a waiting game. Because the agency is only staffed by volunteers, they work on nights and weekends and try as hard as they can to get applications processed in about a week. As of this writing we are Submission Day +2, so I will keep you posted as I receive more info. Once the application is processed, and they think we would be a good match for Little Bobby, they give us a chance to come in and meet him. If we pass that phase, they will then come to our home and do a residence visit where they will assess our living space to ensure it meets their requirements. Now I don't know if any of you have ever seen a Chihuahua, but they are the smallest breed on earth, averaging about 6-12 pounds. I've eaten more pizza in one sitting than that. An adequate living space for the tiny Mexican pooch would be a laundry basket, so I don't think we'll be disqualified for that. Assuming we make it that far, Ole Bobb-O is placed in our care for a trial adoption. If that goes off without a hitch, he's ours!

So, if in your Christmas spirit you feel like sending good thoughts and feelings our way, I think Bobby would appreciate it. It has been a fun experience so far and I hope we get a chance to go see the little guy.

The Little Things

You know what is really annoying?  Having your power windows freeze when you are attempting to go through the drive through.  Now that we live in Alaska, it is below freezing most of the time/all of the time. :)  We have found that our windows freeze right around 20 degrees.  from 20-35 degrees we might have to "help" the window a little by pushing down on it, but usually it will open.

Today it was a brisk 25 degrees when I went on lunch from my work training.  I was craving Arby's so I headed over there, navigated through the icy roads and finally made it to the drive through.  As I pulled up to the window I tried to roll down my window, and it was stuck!  Yes, yes, I could have just opened my door and ordered, paid, and got my food, but number one, that is just awkward.  And number two, it is freezing cold, and who wants icy air coming in an open door while they sit and wait?  Not this girl.  I was already cold even though I was bundled up in a Down coat zipped all the way up and had gloves on.  I don't even want to think about how cold I would have been with the door wide open!

Luckily, at the last second I was able to "help" the window open and a crisis was averted.  So today I'm grateful it was just warm enough for me to roll down my window at the drive through!