23 weeks

I am 23 weeks now. One more down, 17 to go.... This little one is growing fast (as I can tell by my growing belly). Kenna is still very interested in what the baby is doing in my belly and continues to ask questions. Friday she went over to my mom and dad's for a little while when my boss came over. When she returned she told me that she missed her sister and wanted to hug and kiss her. It was adorable.

I am feeling a little overwhelmed thinking about all the things I wouldlike to get done BEFORE she is born- her bedroom done, clothes, blankets, etc washed, get Kenna out of the crib to move into the nursery, etc. With Kenna the 8 week hospital stay was so unexpected that I didn't have ANYTHING ready for her and I really don't want that to happen again.

I go back to Dr Schwartz next Monday. I hope everything still will look good. I feel really good! I started working from home last week which seems to be working out ok. I think Dr Schwartz will keep me that way as long as possible!

22 weeks!

I had yet another trip to see Dr Schwartz and an ultrasound today. Everything looked great! Dr Schwartz is VERY happy (as am I). I am a little disappointed with gaining weight (which I understand is TOTALLY expected). With Kenna, of course, my weight was lower when I started so seeing the scale rise wasn't such a big deal. Then when I spent 8 weeks in the hospital, I was NEVER weighed. It was weird going from appointments where you are weighed every week to not really knowing how much weight you are gaining. Not that it really matters, I guess, but it seems much less traumatizing when you DON'T know.

Anyway, the plan now is that I'm going to continue to have a spot on the couch. The good news is that I am able to "go back to work" however that means I have my work laptop at home and, you guessed it- I can work, as long as I'm sitting on my own couch. Hopefully it will work out ok since I do not want to burn any more of my vacation time. The bad news I found out today is that I do not qualify for FMLA so once my vacation is gone, it's over and I have to go back to work. This will probably mean that I get a maximum of 8 weeks off after the baby is born.

McKenna has become almost obsessed with lifting my shirt and looking at my belly. She will sometimes talk to the baby and sometime she will give the baby hugs and kisses. Today she again tried to look in my belly button to see the baby but was unsuccessful.

A few nights ago I was heating up a heating pad in the microwave. Kenna was very interested and wanted to know what I was cooking. I explained what I was doing but she really wanted me to pick her up so she could see for herself. We talked about what we have so many times before- that mommy can't pick her up because of the baby in her belly. Kenna profoundly asked, "Mommy, can you take my sister out of your belly so you can hold me?"

Is there anything better than this??

Wow, does it get any better than this??? Look at that amazing picture! The ultrasound tech today at Dr Schwartz's office was disappointed that we couldn't see our beautiful little girl's face because of her position, but ......wow...... look at that hand!


Obviously we saw Dr Schwartz again today. Tony and Kenna both came with me. I wasn't sure how Kenna would react but she did wonderful! Our first stop was ultrasound. The ultrasound tech and I have seen each other almost every week so she is a familiar face. Since the whole family was there, she decided to take some pictures of the baby, not just a cervical length.



The baby was laying with her face hidden so we didn't get many good shots of her face. She was adorable with her little hands clasped up next to her face. She was moving around but kept those hands together. At the end of the ultrasound she decided to flip on the 3D mode and try to get a picture of her face (the above picture). She was disappointed not to get the face, but we will take anything we can get!


Then we went in to see Dr Schwartz. Kenna was a little apprehensive at first but he gave her a medical measuring tape to play with so she warmed up to him pretty fast.

Dr Schwartz is very happy with the fact that both cerclages are still in place and holding strong. Everything looks good so far, but he is still not ready to let me go back to work. He wants to at least get me to 24 weeks (I'm 21 now), give me steroids, then possible "trial" going back to work.
We want to take it slow to make sure that we don't get too greedy. (Although, when counting weeks, greedy is good). He said his goal right now is to reach 35-36 weeks, but obviously once we make it there, we will want 38-39 weeks and have a full term baby.



We totally agree with his plan right now. I've done it before, and can do it again. This baby is FAR too precious to let anything happen to her! We love her and want to keep her safe as long as possible. I will see him again next week, then as long as things look good, he might loosen the reigns and let me go 2 weeks between appointments.

20 week and another appt

Tony and I went in today to see Dr Schwartz for another appt. We had an ultrasound first which was positive. Nothing had changed with my cervical length, which is GREAT news!

After the ultrasound, we were escorted into a patient room to wait for the doctor. He was very pleased with the ultrasound and my current status. He said for now we will be watched very closely. He wants us to continue to rest, and "be a bum" as he called it. He plans on seeing us weekly for a while until we are certain that everything has calmed down. He has no doubt that I know what contractions feel like, and I can monitor them at home, but wants to continue the weekly visits to ensure no cervical changes happen. Next week we will do another cervical ultrasound with another appt to see him. He does not want me to go back to work at this time and doesn't see that it would be unrealistic that eventually I might be able to return, although he would want me sitting for most of the work day.

Probably the best part of the appt for me was to find out that I can give my progesterone injections into muscle in my thigh as opposed to my gluteal muscle. When the pharmacist told me that was the only place to give it, I was a little concerned about what I had gotten myself in to when I said I would give them at home. I just gave my second weekly dose to myself, and let me tell you, giving it in the thigh is MUCH easier than the alternative!

Right now Kenna is napping and I'm trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my day. I will probably move between couch and recliner, eventually watching many episodes of cartoons......

Disney on Ice

We had a great time at the Disney on Ice show at the Coliseum last night! Our friends, Josh and Amber invited us to go with them and another couple Andy and Randi. All of our kids had a great time watching the show. McKenna was mesmerized at times and then also was filled with a desire to dance at other times. I took about a million pictures but it was the first time I really had a chance to use the new camera Tony got me for my birthday. I think it did a great job. I'm thinking about making Kenna her own album of pictures from last night.

On the way to the show, Kenna and I were talking about everything she would see while she was there. She was excited to see her her friends Avery, Macy, Brooks and Wes, but we also very excited to see Captain Hook and Mister Smee. At one point in the car she was very concerned that Captain Hook would get her sister. She kept saying "Mommy, don't let mean Cap'n Hook get my sister in your belly!"

Kicking from the inside

As I sit here on the couch at Greg and Cathy's house, I noticed the baby began to kick - not an abonormal occurance over the last few weeks. But as I watched my belly, I began to notice that I could SEE my belly move as the baby kicked. This is just amazing! I remember when I was pregnant with Kenna, one of my favorite things to do was to watch my belly move as she kicked and moved around. So adorable!

Tonight after a long exhausting week, Tony will be coming home from Minnesota. I cannot WAIT to have him home. The events of the week have made it even harder to have him away for work. Luckily he will be home for the next few weeks!

We are really excited about tonight. The Disney on Ice show is coming to the Coliseum. McKenna is a Disney girl. She has recently fell in love with the story of Peter Pan (or Peter Pam as she calls it). I think Mickey and Minnie, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, Lion King, etc will all be at the show tonight. Our friends have invited us to come with them so it should be a great time. I can't wait to see Kenna's face as the characters emerge! Yeah!

McKenna's love for her sister

McKenna is really excited about having a baby sister. I wasn't sure how soon we should tell her but I think she totally understands what is going on. She often wants to talk to the baby and kiss her good night.

A few weeks ago over about 4 days we have a few adorable conversations about the baby. They went something like this:

Kenna: "Mommy is your baby in your belly?"

Me: "Yes"

Kenna: "What is your baby doing?"

Me: "I don't know Kenna. What do you think the baby is doing?"

Kenna: "Your baby playing?"

Me: "Maybe"

Kenna: "Your baby have toys?"

Me: "No, the baby doesn't have toys"

Kenna gathered up some of her toys and said "I have toys. Give them to your baby"

Another conversation:

Kenna: "Mommy, whats your baby doing? Your baby sleeping?"

Me: "Yeah, probably"

Kenna: "Mommy, your baby have jammies on?"

Me: "No, the baby doesn't have jammies"

Kenna got a horrified look on her face and said: "Your baby NAKED????!!!!"

Yet another conversation:

Kenna: "Mommy, open up your belly"

Me: "Sweetie, I can't open my belly"

Kenna: "But I NEED to tell my sister something"

Me: "You can talk through the belly"

Then a few days ago Kenna wanted to see her baby. I explained that we have a while before we can see the baby, that she needs to grow big and strong before we can see her. Kenna then leaned in and kissed my belly as she talked to the baby. Then she leaned even closer and tried to look into my belly button to see the baby. It was adorable!

Another doctor appt

I went in to see Dr Schwartz again today and had another ultrasound. I'm still having some contractions and he wanted to check my cervix. I'm not bleeding any more and so far things look okay. After a good opportunity to get some questions answered, Dr Schwartz decided we needed to add medication to make sure that the contractions don't get too strong. I agreed, we really don't want to wait until it's too late.

Dr Schwartz added brethine (aka terbutaline)- which for those that remember the long 8 week hospitalization with Kenna- brethine is the medication that I was given if I had more than 4 contractions in an hour. The med was given by injection and had some awful side effects. It made my heart race and me feel very dizzy. I almost felt like my mind was spinning and I couldn't coordinate thoughts and speech. It indeed had some strange side effects. Right now, we are using a pill form that I will only take it I absolutely need it (hopefully won't that won't be much).

He also started me on a progesterone injections once a week for the next 10 weeks. I agreed to give them to myself to save the extra trip to his office, which is quite an experience since I have NEVER given myself a shot. To make matters worse it is something that cannot be given in the arm or the thigh. Yeah, you guessed it - in the hip.... That was an interesting task..... But its all for this little one so I did it! The progesterone is supposed to help suppress preterm labor. This is a fairly new med as it was not an option when I was pregnant with Kenna, so pray that it works for us!

Pregnancy # 2

I can't believe I'm 19 weeks. It seems like just yesterday that pregnancy test was positive. It has been an up and down road between the normal feelings of fatigue with early pregnancy and the nausea that seemed as if it would never go away, but luckily at about 13 weeks the nausea subsided.

After everything we went through with Kenna we opted for an early cerclage at 12 weeks. The procedure went well and so far through our whirlwind of doctor appts and too many ultrasounds to count, we thought things were running smoothly.

Like all young women, the idea of pregnancy is flooded by the excitement of a growing midsection, maternity clothes, tiny pink/blue baby clothes, etc. My wish was that hopefully the second time around would be closer to that dream.

Last Wednesday at 18 weeks I was blessed at my doctor appt to find out that this little bundle that has been kicking me for the last few weeks will be little girl. On the way downtown to see Daddy at work, I told Kenna we had a "big secret" to tell daddy. She did a beautiful job running up to daddy (after her attention was slightly captured by the candy on his desk) and telling him that the baby in my belly was her sister.

Over the weekend I started having some cramping and decided that today I should call the doctor. The nurse had me have an ultrasound, which showed my cervix is closed and cerclage still in place but I was bleeding. I think that walk back to my office from the appt may have been the hardest walk through the NICU that I have done. The word "bleeding" is never something you want to hear while you are pregnant, especially when you are only 19 weeks.

Once in my office, I was greeted by Katherine and Renell. Renell graciously agreed to drive me across the highway to my OB's office for an appt (probably fearing that I could not drive with all the tears in my eyes). All the emotions ran high as I had a flashback of my pregnancy with McKenna. Tony out of town. Being driven to appt by someone else. Sitting in the room with the unknown hanging in the air.

My OB decided that the best thing for me is to stay off work for the next week until I see him again next week. I'm trying to be positive since he said I'm not on "bedrest" but rather spending time at home resting and NOT working.

I love this little girl with all my heart and am prepared to do what I need to keep her in. Pray for us!