It's A Girl!!!!

I apologize for not updating sooner, things have been busy on the home front these days. We had a scare the other day, because of some red spotting. Amanda called the doctor's office and they got her into Maternal Fetal Medicine for an anatomy scan to check things out on Wednesday. We went into this scan thinking that she had placenta previa (meaning the placenta is placed over her cervix), which can be dangerous and can cause spotting. The nurses and doctors wanted to make sure there were no tears in the placenta, or need to be concerned for Amanda or the baby. I was so happy that I was able to go in with her and see everything first hand for myself too :) The baby was moving all over the place, SHE is beautiful! Yup, she! It's definitely a girl! All measurements looked good, and she was super active.

We have one issue at this point, which is her umbilical cord. Normally an umbilical cord has three vessels, two arteries leading to the baby, and one vein leading away from the baby. This umbilical cord is two vessels, one artery and one vein. The perinatologist (high risk doctor) assured us that this is pretty common and most of the time there are no risks. One thing we have to watch is her heart, as in some cases the two vessel cord indicates an issue with the heart. But our baby has a strong, healthy heart with four chambers that is looking great! We have to take Amanda back on November 18th for another scan of the baby to take a closer look at her heart again, and then again on December 2nd. It appears that we will be having a scan every couple of weeks to keep an eye on her growth progress, but hey, that just means we get to see her more often!!!

Oh, how have I made you wait through an entire post without revealing her name?! Please meet, Virginia Faylea! Virginia is a family name on Dan's side, both his maternal and paternal grandmothers' name, and also his sister's name :) We made her middle name up by combining my mother's and his mother's middle names, Faye and Lea.

And without further ado, here are our most recent pictures!


This is her left foot :)


This is her face, it's hard to make out unless you know what you're looking at....but she's looking down a bit.


And this is the "money shot" showing her girly parts! Yup, definitely a girl!


We are so blessed!

They Are On Their Way!

Well, after a VERY long weekend in GA getting things situated, Dan is on his way home with a van full of stuff and people! :) They were FINALLY able to leave this morning a little after 10am after the housing move-out inspection was done and getting their car into storage.

Logan is not a good traveler, and Dan is having some issues with him staying buckled in....that's not good! Abigail and Jacob are doing great though. They just stopped at a Burger King for lunch right outside of Atlanta, and let the kids run around and burn some energy on the playground. Hopefully they will nap for an hour or two and allow Dan to drive in peace for a bit.

The Move Has Begun!

Well, yesterday morning at the butt crack of dawn (3:30am) Dan got into the van and started his long 14 hour drive down to GA to get Amanda and the kids situated and moved up here! It was a long day with ups and downs (specifics aren't important), but he made it down and his parents made it up. (My wonderful in-laws made an 8 hour drive up from FL to GA to help out!). Today and tomorrow consists of packing, cleaning, hauling stuff to storage and the likes. Hopefully they will be able to head home sometime Sunday or no later than Monday, but only time will tell.

What we know for sure is that this time next week, everybody will be up here, and we'll be able to be more involved with the pregnancy and appointments! We're looking forward to having everybody up here.

It's hard to believe that she's 20 weeks and 3 days already! Halfway through!!! OMG! We're going to have a baby in less than 20 weeks! In 4-5 months, we're going to have an infant and another one quite close on his/her heels! Hopefully we will be able to get an appointment for her soon after arriving so that we can have the anatomy scan to make sure all is well, and also find out gender! Wow.....it's all happening so fast!

Update On Last Dr. Appointment

This past Tuesday Amanda had another OB appointment. They did an ultrasound, but weren't able to see if it's a boy or a girl :( The baby was looking great though! Heart rate was 162bpm WOOHOO!

She has another appointment next week I believe which will be the last before they move up here! I can't believe we're only a couple weeks away from everybody being up here, where we can see her every day! We're excited!

Random Updates, Nothing Major

I know it's been a while since the last update. Fall Semester started back on Monday, so I've been swamped with the first week back to school, and all of the IVF stuff that Dan and I are going through. We have finished the cycle, and are now in the two week wait to find out if it worked or not. But that's enough about our IVF journey, because THIS blog is about our baby who was conceived in our hearts :)

We did finally receive the ultrasound picture from 8w3d! You can't see much of anything but a little blob, but we love her/him already! I still think it's a girl!


We also have a definite date for Jame's deployment. He'll be leaving on October 11. Dan and my Dad will be driving down to GA on the 15th or 16th to get her and the kids situated and moved up here! It's just so hard to believe how fast time is going. I've never made it this far in a pregnancy, so it's just surreal to me! I can't believe that today she's 13weeks4days along! OMG! In just five weeks (possibly even before we get her moved up here) we'll be able to find out the sex! Less than two months until she's halfway through! In six months, we'll be holding our little baby!

Anyway, that's our newest update :)

Yesterday's OB Appointment

I know it's been a bit since I've updated, but we've been super busy.

Yesterday Amanda had another OB appointment. She's been super sick these past couple of weeks, so I was anxious for her to see the Dr. ASAP! Turns out this visit was only with the nurse, but when she had to run out of the room no less than three times within 20 minutes to puke, they decided that she definitely needed to see the Dr right then! He decided to put her on Phenergan to help with the nausea. She has lost about 20 pounds in the last few weeks, so the Dr. wasn't pleased with that at all. We're hoping the medication works and she's able to put a little weight on, and stop losing! If she doesn't, then she'll have to start getting some sort of shots at the Dr. office to help her gain a bit of weight. She had these last time, and she hated them, so we're really hoping that the Phenergan helps!

Otherwise the baby looked GREAT! He/She was moving all over the place, had a heart rate of 165 beats per minute, and was measuring right on track! We're sticking with our initial due date of March 3, 2010! Depending on the Dr. she has, she'll be scheduled for the c-section about 1 to 2 weeks before the due date, so our little Leprechaun will be born in February!

Our Slings Arrived!

Ok, so UPS showed up this afternoon, and I'm SO excited! Both of my slings from Kangaroo Korner were delivered and I LOVE them! I think I'm going to like the ring type one the best, but the pouch one is nice too. I'm a big girl, so I was afraid that the slings wouldn't fit or work right for me, but they do fit well! I tried them both on, but alas, nothing to put into them except for my Bengal kitten....HAHA! I thought for sure he was going to scratch the hell out of me not wanting to be any part of this, but he LOVED it! I walked around with him in the ring sling for a good 10 minutes, I even took pictures!

Here is Tucker playing the part of guinea pig:

Change of Living Plans

Well, we've discussed things and decided that maybe an apartment isn't the best idea after all. We've suggested to Amanda that she move in with us instead. It just makes more sense really. I mean yes, it is going to make for a crowded house, especially with me taking two very tough classes this Fall semester, but it's going to be the best case scenario really. The Dr. thinks she's going to be high risk, and could end up on bed rest, and if that's the case, she needs to be in a house where there are other people to help care for the kids, not alone. The entire reason for her moving up here is to make things easier on her (and us), so if she's with us here, then she has more help with the kids whether she's on bedrest or not! We have the entire family room that can be converted into a large bedroom/playroom/living area for her. We are going to put the trundle unit down there for her to sleep on, and she can have Jacob's crib down with her. There's already a 42 inch TV and DVD player down there all hooked up to the cable, as well as wireless internet access so that she can get online whenever she wants with the laptop we got her. The office can be converted into a kids room for Logan and Abigail so that's not an issue.

This way they won't have to give up their housing that they have now. We won't have to move a lot of stuff, just clothing, crib, toddler beds, things like that. When she's ready to move back down, she won't have to wait for another house to become available, because their house will still be theirs. She won't have to get utilities, cable, internet service etc. because we already have it.

So that's the new plan. We've suggested to her that she and James talk it over, because that's what we think will be best. My parents have also offered to have her visit them with the kids a few days a week, or however often she wants so that Dan and I can still get some alone time too. We think this is the best scenario for all involved :)

That's our newest update. Now I'm off to look at cribs, strollers, carseats, etc. on consumer reports!

Next Appointment Set

On August 12 at 12:30pm is the next OB appointment. I'm hoping they do another ultrasound at that appointment and actually pin down a due date. It's difficult to not have a correct date since we know she has to have another c-section, and they won't want her to go into labor at all. We're excited to get her up here so that we can go to the OB appointments with her!

We talked to one of the apartment buildings right down the road, and it appears they are going to work with us on a short term lease. They did call back saying they were going to have an apartment opening up in early October, but it's a 2nd floor....NOT HAPPY about that! I think we're going to hold off and do our best to find a first floor one, because we're just not sure about her doing stairs with two toddlers, a baby, a dog, and being pregnant! So, we're going to look a bit more and see what we can find. :)

That's about all for now.

Great Dr. Visit!

Well I just talked to Amanda and her followup appointment went great! The baby is doing wonderful! The heart rate was 158 bpm, which the Dr. was pleased with. One thing which was odd, was the baby was measuring completely different this time! Now, Amanda has three others, and said that this has happened with each pregnancy (one visit the baby will measure 8 weeks, and the next one a week later the baby is measuring 10weeks and some odd days...and usually on the third, she falls in between....something about her babies tend to grow fast right in the beginning? IDK). Anyway, the baby measured 10weeks and a few days, which would put us in a February due date (about the 20th). All that matters though is the baby is growing and doing great!

So, that's our update. I'm so releived that things are looking great, and our baby is growing and doing fabulous! We are so in love and we haven't even seen our little bean yet!

So according to the Dr. today, our baby is:

We'll have to wait until the next OB visit to see which one is right, and get a solid due date, but no matter what, we couldn't be happier!

A Scare This Morning

This morning, Amanda woke up to find that she was bleeding. She obviously freaked out, and headed straight to the ER to find out what was going on. Her neighbor drove her in, and she kept saying, "Call my aunt Gail, you need to call her!". But her neighbor, "B", said that wasn't a good idea, to wait until she knew more. In a way, I'm really glad that "B" talked her into waiting, because I would have been a nervous wreck waiting for updates! So, Amanda called us this afternoon after spending all morning in the hospital being checked out. She's home, and so far all is fine.

Well, the baby is doing well, the heart rate is still up around 167 beats per minute, and her cervix is still closed. The doctor thinks that because she didn't have a chance to have a true period after having Jacob, that her body just needed to "shed" some excess. She is to call her OB on Monday and get in early next week for a follow up.

We're hoping and praying that's all it is, and that the baby continues to thrive and do well. Please send prayers our way. Thanks!

The Word Is Out

So last night, we let the news out to friends and family via MySpace and Facebook. We're happy to be sharing our news with everybody!

I'm also excited to have made my first baby purchase this evening! I bought two slings from Kangaroo Korner. I got an adjustable pouch, and also a padded sling. They were on sale, so I didn't feel too bad about spending the money :) We may make a trip to Harrisburg on Sunday to Baby's R Us to check out nursery furniture, and we're starting to look at paint samples too!

We Have A Due Date!

Wonderful news!!! The ultrasound finally happened this morning, and the baby is measuring at 8weeks and 1day. The heartrate was 167 beats per minute! We have a healthy baby! If she can get a babysitter for tomorrow, she will be going back in to have a more in depth ultrasound in radiology to double check the measurements, etc. since it's very important to have an accurate due date because this baby will have to be born via c-section without her going into labor (she'll be less than 12 months after Jacob's birth/c-section).

We're so excited!

Still No Ultrasound...

Well, yesterday Amanda had to go back to have more blood drawn for another set of beta's. While there she decided to go to the OB floor and speak with the nurse/Dr. about having an ultrasound since she was having such an issue getting them on the phone. The Dr. said that with numbers that high, she didn't need to have any more beta's drawn and she wanted to get her in STAT for the u/s. Now mind that she is there with all three kids... The nurse says, ok, can you do it now? Ummmm, I have three kids here with me?!!!! So the nurse tells her not a problem, to go to radiology and set up an appointment that it needs to be done ASAP. So down to radiology she goes only to be told by that person, "Oh, well ASAP just means within the next couple of weeks. We can get you in on the 24th." WTF?! That is NOT acceptable.

Today she goes back to speak to the Dr. and see if they can fit her in for the u/s. They couldn't, and told her to come back tomorrow. Thing is, they're not even sure if they can fit her in tomorrow! ARRRGGGHHHH!!!!! She's getting the run around and it's driving me nuts! We need to know if she's carrying multiples or not, becasue if she is, we are not going to do our IVF cycle this month... Why are things never easy?

No News

I don't really have any new news right now, but I thought I'd pop in and put a few things down.

First of all, it's driving me nuts not telling anybody IRL! Yes, our parents know, and two VERY close friends, but that's pretty much it. Thank God I have my internet friends to talk to, and they let me be excited, and are excited with me. We still don't have a due date, so we're skeptical to say anything. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep quiet though!!! I'm just so damned excited, that I want to shout it to the world! I may not be the one who is pregnant, but in my heart I am... Does that even make sense? Our baby is alive, with a beating heart, just not in my womb...

Dan and I have looked at some baby stuff already and it's so exciting. We've checked out some strollers, travel sets, carseats and the prices of formulas and diapers. We're on the fence about cloth diapering. I'd LOVE to do it, but I'm afraid that I'll fail....We're still thinking on it :) As for formula...well, I really want to breastfeed. We've researched the option, and it seems as if it's a really viable option! Who would have thunk it??? From what we've read, it appears that I have a few choices to begin lactating. The first option (what we hope works) is that I actually become pregnant on the next IVF cycle, which means I will be lactating anyway. The second option is to start pumping on a regular schedule ASAP, and that should start lactation, when the baby arrives, I can use a system called Lact-Aid to help supplement as well as help boost lactation. The third option is medication along with pumping. It takes dedication, but so does breastfeeding a biological child. It's amazing the number of adoptive moms out there who have been able to do this, it really gives us hope! I want to add here, that if I'm unable to do this, it's OK, I was a formula fed baby, and I turned out just fine...

Is it awful that I also constantly want to look at baby things, and can't wait to start shopping and getting the nursery together? I had to go to the store today to pick up some prenatals to send to Amanda with the other stuff we sent her today, and couldn't leave the store until I walked through and looked at the baby clothes and accessories :) I already feel like an expectant Mom, and I know that Dan is excited too because of little things he says and does. An example would be this evening while we were at Sam's Club getting a few things. He happened to spot a car seat across the way, and said, "oh hey, look at this!". I think that he's going to be a little more reserved for a bit, but I totally understand that after all we've been through.

Still No Due Date :(

Well, today was supposed to be the first OB appointment with an ultrasound to date the pregnancy. I'm so upset that the Dr. she saw would not do the ultrasound because she feared it was too early. So, the Dr. drew a beta to check her HCG levels stating that they needed to be over 6000 in order to preform the ultrasound and be able to see the baby and date the pregnancy. She drew the blood today, made an appointment for another draw on Wednesday and again on Friday. :::SIGH::: So here we are waiting again.

Well, the office called and told her that her levels are 16,743! That's up there! So, I'm thinking she'll do the ultrasound now! Nope! The Dr. wants to do the second draw on Wednesday to make sure the numbers are doubling (my question is when they get this high, do they continue to double?), and then they'll do the ultrasound on Friday instead. Man, this waiting is killing me! I'm like a little kid on Christmas Eve that can't go to sleep because I'm so excited!!!!!

We went out and got my niece a laptop so that we will be able to communicate easier and closer which we'll hopefully ship to her tomorrow or Wednesday. We've also picked up some preggie pop drops, and pops for her morning sickness, and I need to get a bottle of prenatal vitamins to send to her as well since she's almost out.

Come on Friday!

I talked to the attorney again today. We found out that living in different states shouldn't be an issue at all, especially since she's coming up here for at least the third trimester.

The first OB appointment is on Monday, and that will include an ultrasound for dating purposes! We're so excited! On Monday we're going to officially have a due date!

That's about all for updates today.

Attorney Consultation

Today we had our consultation meeting with the attorney we are interested in using. It was a phone consult, and that was great because Dan could still work today, but was able to take time out of his day for the phone call.

She gave us a lot of good information, and made us feel even better about the situation. The costs are going to be MUCH less than we ever expected if all goes as planned as well! We've still got to get some answers about her residency (right now she lives in GA), and how we can get her set up here in PA to make things easier on all involved.

She said we would need to figure out how to get the e-dad's (expectant dad) rights terminated since he will be deployed at that time. So we don't know if he will have to come home to do that, or if we can email him information which he can sign and mail back...etc. We do know that there will be documents drawn up and signed right before the birth that will give DH and I temporary custody so that we can make all decisions, be there, etc. when our baby is born. The father is able to terminate his rights immediately, and the mother has to wait 48-72 hours. After that they have 30 days in which to appeal their decision before we can officially adopt and have a new birth certificate issued, etc.

The attorney is going to do some research about the location thing (GA to PA) and then get back to us tomorrow morning. But it appears that we are well on our way to adopting our little baby.

We still don't know an exact due date, as the pregnancy has been confirmed by the physician but she hasn't had her first OB appointment yet. We're thinking it's going to be somewhere between the end of February and beginning of March.

And the Journey Begins

We received a phone call on Friday afternoon from my niece, Amanda. It was a total shock, since we haven't talked to her in over a year, but a nice surprise to just hear her voice. What she had to say shook our world, and had me in tears for the rest of the day. Amanda lives in GA with her husband and their three babies (ages 3, almost 2, and three months), and they just found out that she is pregnant again. The reason she was calling us was because her and James decided to ask us if we would adopt the new baby. WOW... Talk about a lot to digest in a small amount of time. Of course we are interested, but there are so many questions that need to be answered. Not only that but there's the thought that I really can't be heartbroken again....not after multiple miscarriages, and two failed IVF cycles. She tells us that she's willing to sign anything we want her to, to eat any special diet we request, etc. We obviously had to talk this over and figure out what the best decision was going to be for all of us involved. We decided that YES YES YES, we absolutely want to do this!!!! We've always discussed adopting, but never thought it would be from a family member, or happen as such a surprise, but it is obviously a blessing.

While we are excited, at the same time we are scared that something might happen. I mean, this pregancy is still very early, and we have experience with early miscarriages... There's always the fear that they will change their mind, but we really don't think that will happen. There are a lot of things to think about, but we already love this baby as if I'm carrying it myself.

We have a phone consultation with an attorney tomorrow morning at 10am, and hope to get some answers to questions we have, and get some understanding for how to proceed.