Life As I Know It

Life As I Know It

Friday, October 26, 2012

Best Day of My Life...Until Now!

I have often wondered when I look back on my life, will one day stand out in my memory as the "best day of my life"?  I always imagined the day I got engaged, the day I got married, etc. would be contendors and of course they were all amazing.  It seems though as life goes on the meaning of the "best day of my life" keeps changing.

I know without a doubt, 100% certainty, that October 24, 2012 will go on my calendar as of now as the BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!  I woke up anxious and nervous for our ultrasound.  We have never gotten this far in a pregnancy but after looking at so many ultrasound pictures online I had a pretty good idea of what we should be seeing.  As soon as the ultrasound started I saw the most amazing BABY growing inside of me.  Up until this point we have seen what look like blobs, flickers, and unfortunately sometimes emptiness.  This time we saw a baby forming and growing and moving!  He or she was sitting upright and had their very long legs crossed!  After 2 techs and a doctor all gave it a shot to have that shy little munchkin move into a better position, we still don't know if we will be buying pink or blue.  But that's fine with me...all I care about is that we left hearing the most incredible words..."although stubborn, you have a very healthy baby!"  Nothing better!

Being a first time mom, I do not want to forget anything about this pregnancy and no better place to keep our love story than on here!  When the ultrasound started I will admit I had a brief moment of shear panic when I saw the baby had grown, but was not moving.  Griff saw the heartbeat before I did, but I told the tech I really needed to know what the heartrate was.  They laughed and said not to worry...little munchkin was just sleeping.  Healthy heartrate of 158!  All of a sudden the little guy or girl did what looked like a reverse mule kick and was up and moving!  That little back arched, those long legs stretched out, and the hands started rubbing their eyes.  Cutest thing I have ever seen!   We even got a little wave! :)  Due to the nature of the ultrasound we got to watch our little one on the screen for about an hour...most amazing hour of my life...truly!  We saw the spine, the brain, the eyes, nose, ears, mouth, hands, feet, arms, legs, big ol' belly, kidneys, carotid artery, heart, and cutest little profile!

Part of the appointment also included bloodwork.  I had this appointment for genetic testing purposes.  As devastating as it would be, a genetic problem would not change our love for this child in the least.  The reason we chose to have this testing done was for other reasons-in conjuction with genetic testing they also looked at my placenta and can determine if there are any risk factors for my body down the road as we get closer to delivery.  As I was typing this I got the call with my test results.  PERFECT!   Our chances of genetic issues are in the 1:10,000 range and my bloodwork came back great!  All signs pointing to a very healthy baby and mom! 

It is hard to believe, but my love for this baby keeps growing everyday.  Just when I think I can't love him or her anymore, I do.  I was such a proud mama on Wednesday I can't even explain.  But more so than anything, I am so thankful.  I was just laying on the table during the ultrasound saying "Thank you Lord over and over and over and over".  He has blessed us beyond measure.  He has directed every step of this pregnancy and answered every prayer.  Although He brought us down a rough and bumpy road to get to this point, this child is so beyond worth it. 

We would ask that you will continue to pray with us that this baby grows and matures exactly on track and that in just a few months we will be holding this most precious gift in our arms. 
 
**Disclaimer...this is not our baby's ultrasound...Griff and I have decided to keep that private!**
 
 
 

Sunday, October 14, 2012

4th Try Getting to the 2nd Tri...

I am so thankful to be writing this post tonight.  I am in awe of the miracle that is taking place inside of me more and more everyday.  Each week Griff and I read our What to Expect book and the app on my phone just be more astounded than the week before.  This week our baby's organs are formed and starting to mature, he or she can swallow, and can kick up a storm...even though I will have to wait a few more weeks to feel it.  Keeping in mind that Baby T is only about the size of my pinky that is absolutely mind-blowing.

We have experienced so many firsts with this pregnancy.  Everyday is such a blessing.  On October 5th we had a regular check-up and as the nurse was walking out she said "oh my, I forgot I have to listen to the baby's heart too, not just yours anymore."  I was not expecting to be able to hear the heartbeat on a Doppler just yet as we had only heard it during an ultrasound.  She asked me if I normally carry low so that she could more easily pinpoint where to put the Doppler and I simply said "I don't know...we have never gotten this far before".  We both almost started to cry just realizing the excitement of this moment for Griff and I.  Right away she found the heartbeat and we heard the most beautiful "womp, womp, womp, womp" sound and she timed the heartbeat at a very healthy 168 beats per minute.  Perfect!

My doctor came in and again I was just amazed at how much we were blessed that we was brought into our lives.  He is so genuinely happy for us and even told me he is already blocking off the entire month of April on his schedule so he is for sure in town. ;)  He said we have made it through all the major milestones that we had set early on and my next big milestone is 20 weeks!!!  That is such huge step for us.  I cannot even begin to describe how refreshing it is for him to come in with all good news, no talks of sending me for additional tests, viability scans, blood draws, etc.  I felt so normal for the first time in any of my pregnancies.

As for some other firsts...I have never been this sick in any of my pregnancies, but I am thankful because it means my hormones are strong and healthy.  Anything is worth it for this baby.  I bought my first maternity shirts yesterday, and will admit I am very excited to wear them.  I am sporting a definite baby bump these days that seemingly appeared overnight.  And finally, my baby brain is in full effect...I am so forgetful these days which is so unlike me.

Next week marks the end of my first trimester and I have an ultrasound next week that my doctor said we may find out the gender as it is a very high resolution scan...we'll see!  Looking forward to this next trimester and getting to experience more firsts.  I may be one of the few, but I absolutely love being pregnant and I am so grateful and feel so blessed that this is progressing so perfectly this time.  God is so good to us and we are so thankful!
 
~...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion...~
Philippians 1:6