Cub's 31 Week Check-up With Something Unexpected

Six days ago I had my 31 week check-up for Cub. Like always, her heart rate was in a good range of about 156bpm. And she is head down! I hope she stays that way. I had another weight jump though. Not as big as last time, but I wasn’t happy about it especially since I have really been watching what I eat. Though there is a bit of an explanation for this… My uterus is measuring big. For those who don’t know, or didn’t read the blogs on my pregnancy with Kayley, a woman’s uterus, on average, is supposed to measure the number of weeks she is pregnant in centimeters. So at 31 weeks I should be measuring at 31cm. There is a plus two on either side of the spectrum that puts you in the “good to go range,” meaning at 31 weeks there is no concern of your size if you measure between 29 and 33cm.

I was measured at being 35cm at my appointment, which raises a little red flag of concern, especially since I had two weight gain jumps. For my past two appointments I was on the plus 2 side of things which was fine, but being 4 cm over is a bit much. Reason for measuring big could be anything from my uterus is big because it stretched out faster since this is my second child, my due date was miscalculated, Cub is a big baby, or I have an extra amount of amniotic fluid. Some possibilities have no concerns or “problems” connected to them, others raise more concerns. M strongly suggested to have an ultrasound done at the Maternal-Fetal Medical Center, which is where more detailed ultrasounds are done for measurements and to look for birth defects or other complications that wouldn’t necessarily be spotted on a “normal” ultrasound.

So today we had the ultrasound after a week of speculation as to what could be going on. I tried to focus on the fact that we would get to see Cub again (Andrew worked from home so he could come to the appointment), but it was hard to not think of the what ifs. What if there is an extra amount of amniotic fluid and it’s because her kidneys aren’t functioning correctly? What if she’s a ginormous baby and I have to have a c-section? What if she comes early and we don’t make it to our church’s Fall Conference (I’m in charge of planning the children’s program)? And what if nothing is wrong at all and all this worry is for nothing?

Thanks to my wonderful husband, he was able to help me stay focused on God and put my trust in Him. Through lots of pray (and tears at first), I went from being freaked out about the ultrasound to being fine with it and happy that we’d get to see Cub again.

Cub was rather uncooperative for our ultrasound appointment today and it took nearly 2 hours to get all the pictures and measurements they needed. She started off sleeping with a good heart rate of about 151bmp, but then with all the poking and prodding she started to wiggle around like crazy, which made things every difficult for the technician. It was fun seeing Cub again though.

We found out that she has a “leaky valve” in her heart. Basically a heart murmur, which run in my family (I have one, and so does Kayley, my mom, and a few others). So we’re not really worried about that, but it’s good to know that it’s there. Who knows, it could go away. They did do a lot of extra pictures and measurements of Cub’s heart to make sure nothing else was unusual, and they didn’t find anything. This of course doesn’t not explain why I’m measuring big.

Cub is actually measuring big. After getting all her measurements it seems she is measuring at the size of a average baby who is in the 34^th or 35^th week of development. This could mean she’s just a big baby, or that my due date was miscalculated. Though since we had an early ultrasound (11 weeks), my due date is probably pretty close to what it would count out to be. But my period is irregular so there is a slight chance they got it wrong even with the ultrasound (anyway, only like 5% of babies are born on their due date). So she is most likely just big for her gestational age. They guessed she’s about 5lbs, and a baby in the 32^nd week normally weighs somewhere near 4 and 4.5lbs. Her size could lead to a normal “on time” delivery without complication, an earlier delivery that’s totally normal, or the need for a c-section.

I’m rooting for the first two options (as long as she comes after Fall Conference…). I know she’ll come into this world the way God planned her to and when God planned her to. So now it’s time for Andrew and me to trust in God and see what happens. I will be watching what I eat even more than I was so I don’t add extra chub to Cub though. What a nice way for our daughter to help her mommy and daddy really eat healthy!

And now, pictures of Cub from the ultrasound and my 32 week picture for your enjoyment. 

32 weeks! That's 8 months!

High-five about having a little sister

Meet Cub! This is a profile picture of her face. Her hand is near her nose and mouth on the left side

We even got to see Cub in 3D! She's holding a hand up by her head on the left side of her face (that's your right)

Squishy baby face.

K's 15 Month Check-Up

It seems we’re always going to get a report that Kayley is tall and lean. A few days ago Kayley had her 15 month check-up. Here are her stats:

Weight: 21lbs 15oz (25-50%)

Height: 32inch (90-95%)

Head circumference: 18.5inch (75%)

Her percentiles have been like this since she was 6 months old. She definitely got her daddy’s genes for height.

Kayley is beginning to recognize the doctor’s office. She stayed close to me as I got her checked in, and she clung to me when we walked to the examination room. She was shy when the nurse came in to get her stats, and when Z came in she clung to my leg and always wanted some sort of physical contact with me. She did great while Z was looking at her. Kayley just laid on the table with my hand touching her while Z checked her out and we talked about her health. She was so quiet and still that Z was able to hear the little heart murmur she was born with, something we haven’t been able to hear in a while, and still holds no concern (they run in my family with no ill consequences). We talked about the redness and red spots Kayley gets around her eye again (yet again we saw Z on a day it wasn’t there), and are pretty sure it’s eczema. It’s just too close to her eye for us to really do anything about it. It doesn’t seem to bother Kayley much though.

We also talked about allergies and that so far it seems Kayley cannot have eggs and that we’re still experimenting with milk and getting mixed results. So she gave me a hand out that lists other sources of calcium, two of which Kayley eats often: oatmeal and oranges. So we’re good on that front.Yet again she hated her shots (she got three), but recovered well. I took her to an awesome local pet store after her appointment to get her mind off things.

Everything else is going really well. 

Kayley loves to walk, run and climb and seems to have great balance.

She loves to draw and use her fine motor skills to grab the crayon and small and large motor skills to make pretty designs.

Drawing

Check out her beautiful picture

She’s great at parallel play and does a bit of interaction play.

Balls are becoming a new fun thing to grab, shake, roll, throw, chew, etc.

She has started to use a spoon and fork to feed herself and she is so proud of herself when she is successful.

Using a spoon and fork

Nom nom nom

She is beginning to imitate things we do more (like pretends to put on lotion when I do is a small example)

She can make 8 animal noises and we think is starting to try and imitate some words, but she doesn’t say them enough or clear enough for us to be sure. So far there is a possibility she has said “all done,” “blue” and she says “kck” if you ask her if she wants a cookie.

She likes taking off her socks along with trying to put them on. She likes trying to put on other clothes too and is excited when she gets an arm or leg through a hole.

She points at what she wants and has her own particular way of asking.

She loves to dance and clap to music.

If you ask her “where’s your sister” she will point at my belly or pat it. She also loves giving her sister kisses.

28 Weeks

We are in the third trimester! Whoohoo! Little baby girl, we’re gonna be meeting you soon! Last week I had my 28 week appointment with M. Cub is sounding and feeling good and everything is as it should be. Her little heart rate was around 158bpm, and for the appointment she was head down. She still had space to spin around and dance, but I’m hoping she’ll stay head down for me.

I yet again feel like I have doubled in size. I think Cub had a growth spurt this last month. I finally put some more weight on, though a little faster than I personally would like, but still in the good pregnancy gain spectrum.  My total weight gain thus far is 21lbs. Not bad I think, but I don’t really want to gain much more unless this little girl needs me too.

A very annoying thing that has becoming increasingly more part of my everyday life is something called “pregnancy brain.” I dealt with it a bit while pregnant with Kayley, but oh my gosh has it been bad with Cub. Please do not ask me to do any math for I fear I have lost the ability to do it. This includes simple addition and subtraction too. I feel incredibly stupid when I try to figure out simple math problem and all my brain can give me is static. Poor Andrew has had to deal with me ask the same questions more than a couple times. And what makes it worse is I’ll remember I asked him a particular question and that he gave me an answer, I just can’t remember what the answer is… And I keep misplacing things. Or leaving the house with Kayley with everything in tow except for her sippy, light jacket, and sometimes even a refill on diapers. Or I’ll go to the store without a list because I only have to buy 3 items, and hey, 3 items is super easy to remember. But then I’ll walk through the store’s doors and I can’t remember what I was going to pick-up.

Sigh.

M told me not to worry about it too much and that my brain is just thinking about a lot of things with a new baby coming, and already having a little one. She encouraged me to make sure to get some extra rest and that should help. Hopefully it will because I really hate forgetting things.

Overall things are going splendidly! We still having figured out what Cub’s name will be, but we’ll hopefully figure that out soon enough. I’m practically dying to start calling her a name in private (Sorry! We won’t be sharing her name until she’s born!).

Here are the pics for week 28!

28 weeks! That's 7 months!

Kayley wanted to read the counting book we've been using and make sure we were using the correct page

Oh! And the new midwife clinic opens next month! So I'll be moving there with M. Now there is a 100% chance of a midwife delivering Cub instead of an OB. The hospital hired 3 new midwives to make this possible, and I'll have about a month to meet them all (I know 2 of the 5). So my next appointment will be my last at the current clinic, and starting in Sept I'll be going to the new one. ^_^

On a completely different note! Kayley’s oldest cousin is in town on leave from the army! I’m so excited I get to see my nephew again! Kayley was a little unsure of seeing him again at first, but within a few minutes totally warmed up to him and just wanted to keep playing. So cute! Here are a couple great photos from DJ’s visit thus far.

All smiles! I love how this one turned out!

Cousin love

VBS-Wedding-Move

Last week was pretty packed. It was the week of Vacation Bible School (VBS) at church and the week Mike, Andrew’s best friend and the best man from our wedding, got married. Here’s how the week went down.

Monday: Andrew took Kayley to the zoo for their first big Daddy-Daughter outing. They had a blast as previously mentioned in the last blog post.

I helped out at VBS by helping to lead music and being a “floater.” And for all those wondering, yes a pregnant woman can sing, jump and do all the hand motions. ^_~ I got quite the work out and had fun doing it.

Checking out the birds

Tuesday and Wednesday: Kayley spent both days with the nursery kids at VBS while I yet again helped to lead worship. She even made a cute craft to bring home. Instead of being a “floater” I was actually the story teller for both days and got to teach the kids about Paul’s life from the book of Acts.

I had lots of the little kids randomly put they hand on my tummy to feel the baby, which was super cute. One child asked if I was having a girl or boy. When I told her I was having a girl I overheard a boy say “how can you know that?” I figured I wouldn’t go into explaining all that to the 6 year old when I only had about a minute or less to spare before the next group of kids came to learn about Paul.

I was also touched by how many people (adults and kids) kept checking on me to make sure Cub and I were okay since I was up on my feet a lot and jumping around. Some of the kids were concerned for the baby until it was explained to them that the baby was in water and the jumping around probably felt like they were being rocked. As for the ones concerned for my well being, I assured them that exercising while pregnant is actually really good to do and that I was being careful not to overexert myself. I left out the fact that it’s good to exercise while pregnant because pushing a child out of your body is a lot of effort and it’s good to be fit and build up your stamina for the labor ahead.

Resting with my feet up. Sadly no pics from VBS =(

Thursday: We packed for the wedding and got Kayley packed for spending the next few days with her Maimie. My niece Katie came over to babysit her before my mom was able to pick her up. We left for T-town, got settled into our hotel, got ready for wedding stuff, Andrew went to the wedding rehearsal while I stayed at the hotel to plan for the kid’s program at Fall Conference, we went to rehearsal dinner, and then hung out with Mike.

Watching the glorious sunset from Mike's folk's house

The guys of course had to do a traditional Slurpee run

Friday: Andrew was busy with best man things for the wedding, and I stayed and relaxed at our hotel. Sure I could have gone out and done something, but I hadn’t had a quiet day to me in a long while. So I took advantage of our situation. ^_^ I took a bath, watched HP7 part 1 and 2, read a bit, had my feet up (for they have stated to swell a bit due to pregnancy), and enjoyed some delicious food.

That night it was Mike and Heather’s wedding! And what a lovely wedding it was. We were so happy we could be there to support, encourage and celebrate with them. Andrew and I both enjoyed dancing with the happy couple until I had to watch from the sidelines due to Cub being in a position that made me feel very uncomfortable. But we enjoyed the night and enjoyed seeing how happy Mike and Heather were before, during and after the “I Dos.”

After sending the happy couple on their way we stayed to help clean up before heading back to our hotel. 

Prayer during the ceremony

The happy newlyweds!

The happy couple with their happy parents

Aww, best friends. They were best man at each other's wedding, and both signed the other's wedding certificate as a witness.

The wedding party having fun

WHOOHOOO!

We sent them off with sparklers. Aawww, bring back memories of our wedding and being sent off in the same way. ^_^

Saturday: No toddler around = chance to sleep in. And then we had a very filling breakfast at the hotel. I would be happy to eat there again. ^_^ We took a swim in the pool before checking out and heading to my mom’s new house to not only pick Kayley up, but to help my mom move into her new home, and also celebrate my Aunt Lisa’s birthday. AND!!!! To my surprise (and everyone else’s) my brother Jay was there to help out! My mom and he had secretly planned for him to come up, so I was delighted and surprised to see him. And totally happy that he was able to spend the weekend with Kayley. I love my brother. ^_^

Kayley with her Uncle Jay

I <3 my big brother!

Kayley LOVES her Maimie's new backyard.

So we helped my mom, sister, bro-in-law and nieces move into their new home (well, I mostly ran around with Kayley while Andrew helped with the hard work). We had a great time with family and friends helping out, and a wonderful yummy BBQ to celebrate Lisa’s birthday. 

Uncle Steve cooking on the grill

Time to serve it up!

Kayley playing with her cousin Roland

Sunny weather + BBQ + great fellowship = awesomeness!

And then! My cousin Ira was able to show up to help and he brought actual real props from LOTR and the Hobbit movies! The place he works at as a smith actually helps to create some of the swords and armor for the movies. So Andrew and I were able to hold Sting and wear nazgul gloves! Very cool.

Nazgul armor!

Sting!

I'm pregnant and I have a sword... Don't mess with me!

My cousin, Joel, imagining being a hobbit. Good things the sword didn't start glowing blue.

Check out the craftsmanship

My niece, Sara, being kind of creepy with the Nazgul gloves.

And then after all the weeks excitement, we all went home to sleep so we could get ready for a regular packed Sunday.Kayley had a great time with her family while we were gone. Just like the last time we left her, she didn't really seem to care that we were back... Of course she was excited to see us, she just loves everyone else in our family so much that she didn't miss us too much. 

Kayley blowing kisses to Maimie and thanking her for the fun time she had while her mommy and daddy were away

Summer Fun

Since the weather has been so nice FINALLY, we have been trying to take advantage of it and get Kayley out of the house and in the sun for some fun adventures. Two weeks ago Kayley and I went to a kid’s concert at Marina Park. She seemed to enjoy the music the band played, but ended up wanting to watch and quack at ducks the majority of the time. I had fun with her as she explored benches, watched people, and continuously tried to get in the lake so she could be closer to the ducks.

Watching the band

Sitting on a bench watching the ducks and boats go by

Running around to the music

Quack! Quack! Quack!

Later that week as a family we went to Derby Day. Kayley got to make her first “big girl craft” at a stand, we had a picnic in the park, watched some bicyclist race, shared cotton candy (which Kayley had no interest in), ran into some friends, Kayley ran through the sprinklers and we all enjoyed the live music (which Kayley danced and clapped to, and then nearly ran up stage). It was a fun family outing that we’ll have to check out doing next year. Then maybe Kayley will be tall enough to go on some of the kiddy rides.

Sporting her new visor she decorated.

The bicyclists

Andrew carrying dinner to our picnic spot while I pushed the stroller and held two snow cones.

Enjoying the sunshine

I love splitting a cotton candy with Andrew. ^_^ It reminds me of one of our first dates

Kayley did not want anything to do with the cotton candy, which is totally fine with us!

Having a blast in the sprinklers

Kayley got to go to the zoo again. And this time it was a Daddy-Daughter outing, and their first BIG outing together. They timed going to the lion area perfectly. Kayley and Andrew were able to see the lions pretty close up as Kayley roared and pointed at them. And when they were at the jaguar exhibit, he walked right past them. Kayley also got to see some pretty colorful birds up close in an aviary section that I’ve never taken her too before. I was told they had a great day out.

Roar!

Checking at the jaguar as it passes by

Pointing at the birdies

Ps. I entered the 3rd trimester of pregnancy today! It's getting closer to when we get to meet Cub!!!