30 Weeks and Counting....

On Monday we made it to 30 weeks! Incredible! We're noto out of the old woods, but it is unbelievable to be able to say we are 30W along. My belly may say more, but that just means my little one is growing stronger and bigger - we all know Nate was 8Lbs 11Ou and 21 and 1/4 inches, Max (2LBs 1OU) was on pace to equal his brother and this little one is definitely in the running too (at 3LBs 2Ou at 28W). So now the aches and pains are setting - but aside from the constant nightly cramping - they are "normal" for pregnancy. No one said pregnancy was fun overall, it is just a different journey for each person. I will take the big abdomen, shots, cramps and all the aches to bring this little one home, it is nothing to pay for the joy he / she will bring to our home.
Hooray, we have our transport and post cerclage team assembled and ready to wisk us off to the hospital as soon as labor sets in. This was a very scary thing in my mind - with Nate my labor was 15 hours plus 2 hours of just pushing. With Max, labor was non-existant and pressure/contractions literally began when he was plus two or on the way through a dialated cervix. So, having someone there to get me to the hospital at a moments notice seemed a wise thing to do. It seemed especially wise after our MFM said, "Have the transport arranged." She is a no frills, straight forward doctor - which is why we liked her anyway - and for her to say that speaks for itself. I could labor for a long time, but maybe not......I'd kind of like a shot at an epidural.......and the option of having the baby at the hospital instead of on the way! So big, humoungous thank yous to Gram and Grampa Z and Neena and Papa for being able to come to visit until basically this little one decides to come. We also know that Dr. J will be able to be there when this little one does come into the world, and we are very happy to hear that she wants to be there for the birth. It feels like a big circle will come to a close in a way....it was funny becasue she said something about number four today........we said, ummmmmm not so sure about that! :) Without her firm guidance we would have lost our minds by now.....not to mention Laurel our nurse who has talked me down on more than one occasion. We cannot say enough about the care we have received and what a blessing it is to have UH so close by.
So 30 weeks and counting.....each day. Thankful for each kick and rotation from within, and still hoping for the miracle to come screaming into our arms at the end of the rainbow.

Turning Four....

Today is Nate's big day, and as of an hour ago he is truly four! Amazing. Thanks to all of our family who was able to attend his celebration on Sunday, he had so much fun seeing all the "Neena's and all the Papas!" He also really enjoyed his special morning with Uncle Jeffy and Grammy. Today, mommy and Nate had fun playing with all of the new toys, at the Dragon Park and having special lunch together. Then when Nate went to nap, mommy began calling preschools for next year. So, Nate will attend formal preschool next fall (2008-2009) and then kindegarten 2009-2010. We feel his late birthday and giving him one more year to mature and enjoy being a big "little boy" will be good for him. So entering kindegarten he will be five going on six instead of four going on five. Just a little update on our earth angel and what is going on in his world. Now that Daddy and Nate's birthdays are over, he understands that Mommy's will be next (ok - so Uncle Tom's, Neena's, Papa D and Grammy S' come before) and then the baby will be born!!! He has been more cognizant of the baby lately, kissing the belly and receiting when the baby will, "come out." He still has no real preference for a sister or a brother.
One final tidbit on Tater - yesterday after everyone had left Nate said he wanted to send the rest of his balloons to Max in heaven, including his special Thomas balloon. We told him if he sent them, they would not come back and he said, "That's o.k. I will send them to Max because I can play with all my toys here." We thought that was a pretty thoughtful way to include his little brother on his big day, not to mention such a sweet, caring idea and act for our big, little boy. So, he did send his balloons to heaven and mommy and daddy, near tears, cheered him on.

Child of My Heart - Walk to Remember

Today our little family participated in a wonderful event, as noted in the title as the Child of My Heart Walk to Remember. It was created by the Knoop family who lost their little boy, James Bennett, in 2001. We were able to meet Lisa Knoop, James' mommy, this morning and were suprised to find out James was born on July 28th as well. It was sort of a, "can you say that again?" moment, since Max and James share the same birthday - different years of course. The walk started at the Museum of Natural History with a quick overview of "why we were there" and an introduction to the Knoop Foundation's mission and new web site. The Knoop Foundation provides materials to UH's NICU such as preemie clothing, blankets, and materials for bereavement. So, we have benefitted from the foundation immensely. When we lost Max they provided most of the things we were able to take home as rememberances of him as well as the book, "Empty Cradle, Broken Heart." It was wonderful to meet this woman who through such pain was able to create such a wonderful, giving organization in memory of her son.

One of the things that struck us as she spoke was her stating how people didn't want her to talk about her son, to mention his name because they really just didn't know how to deal with such a loss. We have noticed how this is very true, and hope people know that it is not to make our family/friends uncomfortable but to help our little one live on. Today was a gift from the Knoop Foundation dedicated to helping families do just that. After the presentation we went outside to a notes-to-heaven balloon release, like at Max's party, and then walked a mile around University Circle. We all received t-shirts too - it was really sad and inspirational at the same time to see all of those shirts walking together to remember so many lost little ones.
It is our hope to return to the walk next year with more family and friends. Max will always be a member of our family, our new miracle can never take his place or heal our hearts. We hope that many of you will look forward to the invitation to the walk and future "To the Max" parties to help us keep his memory alive in a fun, positive way. To visit the Knoop Foundation, see www.childofmyheart.org

Nate's Turning FOUR!

We can't believe it - our little boy is turning four a couple weeks. We will be having a family party for him on September 16th from 1:00 - whenever. Again it will be casual grill out food. He is so excited!! He has already requested his real birthday dinner - Alfredo pasta and strawberries and pineapple! So funny! He has asked that his cake be Gordon this year, from Thomas the Tank Engine, because Gordon is the big number four engine. When I asked him, he gave quite a bit of thought before answering, and I thought that was a pretty big boy idea. Some things he has shown interest in for gifts include:
new Clifford books (or any books really)
the Little Einsteins jet plane
Troublesome Trucks that giggle - think these are the wooden ones
Binoculars
Cool tools - he has lots of screw drivers, wrenches, nuts, bolts...think he is talking saws ect.
Soccer Goal

He has also been enjoying:
Dinosaurs, Lightning McQueen, rocket ships.....generally big boy things to do.

We can't wait for his party - in some ways, and we could wait forever in others. It doesn't seem possible that he is four already. Time to start playschool, then preschool next year and finally the big K - kindegarten. Can mommy's heart take it?? It will have to because Nate shows no signs of slowing........as it should be. Hope to see you at the party!

28 Week Check Up

We had an ultrasound today to check out how baby was growing and how the cerclage was holding up. All looked good! My cervix is a little shorter than they would like, but it hasn't changed from last month - 2.4mm. So I was really happy to see that. Baby's brain and heart are, "as good as it gets." Placenta is working quite well and baby Dell now weighs 3 pounds 2 ounces!!!! Sooooo, now we just keep doing what we're doing to keep baby growing and comfy until hopefully November. We see Dr. J in two weeks for a prenatal check, and by then we will hopefully be 30 weeks along!!! Wow! We talked a little about induction on our last visit, and Dr. J said I would be a good candidate having had two successful vaginal births - it all depends on the cervix and baby's position. So, at least we can "think" about it. With how quickly Max arrived - my cervix dialated almost painlessly with Max as opposed to a regular painful labor with Nate - she said it was a good idea to have a transport plan ready. Since Mike can't drive that is a little worrisome, and if it happened in the day most family are not so close or working. By the time I was in pain with Max he was already plus two and ready to be pushed out, so it really is pretty logical to hope for an induction with this little one. But that is thinking pretty far ahead. All I am looking for is to make 30 weeks now! Grow little one, grow!!

What's with the pink????? & 26 Week prenatal

Had some more pink today.....ugh. Woke up to cramps around 1 a.m. and again at 3 a.m. The round at 3 just kept me up. Then I found the pink after going to the potty for the seventh time. I also had some pink last monday and ended up going to see Dr. J. All checked out fine with the cerclage though. We are frustrated with these occurences, they scare the bologna out of us. I am supposedly "over" my third.....yes third, urinary tract infection, but who knows? I will have another urinalysis next week and we'll really see. That or the contractions will come back.....ughhhhhh! Grow, baby grow! We also talked about inducing possibly; Dr. J said I am a good candidate with two successful vaginal births. It all depends on baby's position, dilation and effacement around 38 weeks. I really hope to move it up a little more.....not too much. But that will mean an amniocentisis, so we'll just wait and see.

Last Thursday we had our 26 week prenatal appointment, had a lovely chat with Dr. J and all seems to be going well. She checked my stitch again and it still seemed good. When she checks she is checking to be sure there is no tension on the stitch, for effacement and dilation. All look good. Since I have about half of my cervix left, I am 50% effaced or thinned out already, but that 50% seems to be in it for the long haul. Baby is now around 2 pounds or so. Hooray!

With passing day 26W 5D gestation we have passed Max's birthday. On Monday, today August 27. we will pass 27 weeks too.....the day Max died. It is not something anyone else would think of really, but it really gives this baby his/her own pregnancy from this point on. We have passed all of Max's dates and can only hope that this new little miracle has many, many more of his/her own dates.

24W Ultrasound - Howdy baby!!

August 9, 2007
We got to see our little one again today. The fabulous thing about UH is the time and attention they have given us at every twist and turn of this pregnancy, and today was just as thoughtful an experience. We were seen by both a songrapher and our ultrasound MFM, Dr. L. Dr. L has seen us through every ultrasound in this prenancy, so it is nice to have such consistency for the baby. He said that all development is very good. He has no worries about the heart, gastro system......this is as good as it gets. :) So we were very happy to hear this. We were also able to see our baby in 4D, and it is the most amazing thing ever. The details are so clear, it is a true sneak peak at your child. We also saw the skeletal images, but the 4D is overwhelming. Dr. L said he was starting a new family album for us - and it is so true. We were given at least ten new pictures of our little one, and most of them are 4D. When we figure out how to get them added to the blog, hopefully everyone can enjoy them.
The only "grounding" news was that my cervix has shortened to around a 2. 4. In pregnancy they usually like to see at least a 3cm and above. But this is why we got the cerclage. When pressure was applied the cervix did not shorten any more so, this is good. The tech also said she thought she saw something inside the interior of the cervix (blood clotting maybe, but definitely not the amniotic sac - if the amniotic sac dips into the cervix it is called funneling and can break the bag of waters). The MFM, Dr. L, said he did not see anything that we need to worry about. So, at this point we are going t continue to do things as we are - with me on some physical restrictions but not on bedrest at this point. Our next appointment is Aug 23 with Dr. J. So all in all, a good day. Mike and I are hoping for many, many more of these and praying for many more weeks of baby baking for this little one.