27 Weeks

We had a busy but great week!  On Monday we had MCA scan #4 and little Austin is still doing really well!  You can see from the graph that he made a bigger jump this time but he's still in Zone D.

His peak velocity at scan #1 was 19, scan #2 it went up to 22, scan #3 it went up to 25 and scan #4 it went up to 33.  Obviously he strayed away from his average jump of 3 and went up by 8 but we did go a little bit longer between scans this time and he's still in that D area so we definitely can't complain.  Our biggest goal is to still be in D at the 35 week scan because that's how they determine when they'll induce me.  I really don't want to have to deliver before 37 weeks so our fingers and toes are crossed!  During this scan they checked my fluid level which was right where it should be and they also confirmed that my cervix is still closed.  All good news!

Austin is typically really active during the scans so it usually takes them awhile to get a proper reading but this time he was super chill and didn't move around too much so at one point the u/s tech said: "He is being really cooperative today and is in a great position so I'm going to turn on the 3-D imaging!" I'm going to be honest, Logan and I usually think those 3-D pictures are kinda creepy and we've never wanted to pay for one but I wasn't going to turn it down for free!  I know I'm biased but here's one of the super cute shots she was able to get.  Check out that adorable nose and mouth!  And from this picture it looks like he's going to have his brother's chin :) We definitely consider this appointment a success!

Two days after our MCA scan we had our regular appointment with our OB.  I always love seeing him!  I had the lovely opportunity of doing the glucose test this time so that was lots of fun.  They said no news regarding those results is good news so fingers crossed I don't hear from them.  The rest of the appointment was straight forward and went really well!  Austin's heart rate was strong, I was measuring 27cm, and I've officially moved on to three week appointments.  

I've heard all sorts of different things about when each trimester begins so I confirmed with my doctor that I officially began the third trimester at 26 weeks and 4 days!  What a great feeling!  The nursery needs a couple more decor items and then it will be all ready to go so I'll post pictures soon!  We are loving it and get so excited each time we walk in and imagine Austin in there!

Logan and I both noticed this week how much stronger Austin seems suddenly!  He must have hit a growth spurt and put on a pack of ounces because his movements are much more pronounced now.  We went to a Jazz game this week and he was kicking a ton when it got really loud and he also seems to be responding to our voices a lot more.

Today is the first day of Spring which means we're officially in the season that we get to meet this little boy! The coming months are going to to be filled with great memories and I can't wait to experience them!  As anxious as we are to meet little Austin, we continue to pray that he'll stay in for another 2 1/2 months or so!

Weight: 140.0 (This week: +.6 | Total: +19.2)

27 weeks down, 11 (hopefully!) to go!

26 Weeks

Another week down means we're that much closer to meeting our little love!  The beginning of this week was rough because I got knocked down pretty hard by a nasty viral infection but it ran its course quite fast and I felt myself again after a few days.  To me, there aren't many things much worse than congested sinuses and a bunch of crap stuck in your chest/lungs.  Thankfully I'm past it and my fingers are crossed that it doesn't rear its ugly head again anytime soon!  Aside from being under the weather, I continued to feel great this week. My second trimester has treated me quite well so I'm going to enjoy the last few days of it as much as I can!

Sleep has continued to be quite easy to come by lately and I'm loving it!  Aside from waking up once each night to use the bathroom, I tend to sleep through the night without too much difficulty.  I know this won't last forever so I'll enjoy it while I can.  I'm noticing more and more lately that I have to constantly change sitting positions when I'm at work or just sitting at home watching TV because my stomach starts to make me uncomfortable.  I can't believe I'm going to get so much bigger than I already am!  **I randomly threw up yesterday for the first time in weeks.  It hit me out of nowhere as I was getting ready for work and it was painful!  I haven't thrown up with my stomach this big and it was not a pleasant feeling at all.  The good news is I felt way better afterwards than I do most mornings so that was a nice surprise.**

I currently have 12 weeks left in this pregnancy and in the next 2-3 weeks we will be completely ready for little Austin's arrival and I am thrilled about it.  Every time I walk into his nursery and see just about everything in its place I feel such peace knowing we won't be scrambling at the end trying to get everything organized and looking exactly how we want it.  I dealt with some postpartum blues after Eli was born and I'm convinced it's because he came when we were least expecting it and I didn't have everything done.  It drove me mad!  We are going to have everything set up, decorated, washed, and ready to go with a quite a few weeks to spare and I am so happy about it.  Call me crazy for getting it all done so early but it helps me feel sane!

The nursery isn't the only thing we're already working on putting together!  As I've mentioned before, I will no longer be working full time because I get to stay at home but I do have the great opportunity to do some work remotely.  I wish it was as easy as leaving the office one day and picking up right where I left off but unfortunately it will take quite a bit more planning than that.  I'm currently coordinating with our IT guys on getting every program I use here at work set up on my home computer so I don't have any technical issues when I eventually make the switch.  I've also made a list of everything I will be able to do at home so they can find other employees to take over certain tasks that need to be done at the office.  I'm still planning on working as long as I possibly can so hopefully that will allow for a smooth transition home when that time comes.  I am so grateful Logan supports me in being a stay-at-home mom but I also feel so blessed that I have the opportunity to make a little extra money at the same time.

We have MCA scan #4 next week as well as our regular OB appointment so it should be busy but hopefully filled with good news!

Weight: 139.4 (This week: +1.4 | Total: +18.6)

26 weeks down, 12 (hopefully!) to go!

I've decided that I'm going to include other little updates in these weekly posts since I'm not taking the time to document them separately.  I'll be better about blogging about other aspects of our lives as soon as I'm not writing weekly pregnancy posts.  

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to lunch with 5 ladies that are very dear to me.  We are some of the Utah SCID moms and we all have such a special bond even though we only get together once or twice a year. Although some things about our experiences are similar, our stories are very different from one another and it's so good to see them and get caught up on how their families are doing.  I'm so sad we didn't take a picture but you can take a look at THIS post to see some of these cute moms.  Thank you, Deni, for getting us together!  It was so good to see all of you!

25 Weeks

Making it to 25 weeks feels like a big milestone for some reason!  Because I will be delivering early, we are officially 3 months away from when we get to meet this little bean!  That doesn't seem too far off at all :) This week was great because it was the first of two weeks in a row that we don't have a single doctor appointment.  Thank goodness!  I don't mind going to the doctor and it's always comforting to make sure things are going well but it's also a nice break since we have had and will continue to have many appointments until he's born.  Next week will be our last appointment-free week before we likely have them weekly until I deliver.  We'll enjoy the break while we can!

My wedding ring is getting pretty snug on my finger and leaves a nice indent when I take it off but I sure hope I can keep it on for awhile!  My feet and ankles don't seem to be swollen yet so that's happy.  I can tell my tummy is getting bigger because my lower back is starting to ache more, especially if I'm on my feet for awhile.  Austin now seems to be getting big enough too where he can get in certain positions that are quite uncomfortable for me!  As long as he's happy in there then I'll deal with it :)

The highlight of the week was definitely getting all things baby out of storage and beginning the nursery setup!  The big furniture is put together and in its place and I've gone through every little outfit and put them in drawers.  Sorting through the clothes was my favorite thing in the world!  I'm typically in bed by 10:00 each night and realized it was after 1:00 when I finally finished.  Whoops!  I'll have to pull the clothes out again soon so I can get them all washed but it sure is fun seeing all of the adorable outfits Eli wore that we now get to put Austin in, not to mention a bunch of new things we've added but really didn't need :) I'm going to love all of the decorating and organizing that will take place over the next few weeks!  I'll definitely share some pictures when it's finally all put together.

I wish I had more to share so this wasn't such a short post but that just about covers it for this week!  I definitely can't complain about a low-key, non-dramatic week.  I'm loving how great I feel and hope it lasts for awhile before I get too uncomfortable!

Weight: 138.0 (This week: +1.4 | Total: +17.2)

25 weeks down, 13 (hopefully!) to go! **I will deliver no later than 38 weeks**

24 Weeks

"He is doing great!" is what we were hoping to hear at MCA Scan #3 and those were the doctor's words exactly!  They did a growth scan first and little Austin was measuring right where he should be for how far along I am so that was great to see/hear.  After checking his growth, they checked the blood flow to his brain and it came back around 25 which is still in the "safe" zone, right where we want him.  We are thrilled!  I've included the graph again for anyone that's interested.  

When the doctor came in after the tech finished the U/S he said: "I hear you have your own graph with you. That's a bit nerdy but a great idea."  Haha.  I'm weird and like to be able to compare each scan to the next on the same graph so it's convenient having them mark the same one each time.  By my own rough calculations, he is currently averaging a 2.85 increase every two weeks and if he keeps that up his level will still easily be in Zone D at the 35 week scan.  We can't ask for more than that!

I mentioned last week that my body was going through a few changes that seemed to come around way earlier this time than they did during my last pregnancy and those changes keep coming.  Maybe it's normal since I've already been pregnant and my body just knows what to do.  I imagine my body thinking: "Here we go again..." My feet don't seem to be too swollen anymore but my face sure seems rounder already!  My face got very plump during my pregnancy with Eli but I know that had a lot to do with all of the water I retained at the end. Fingers crossed it doesn't get that bad again.  I've also felt a lot more pelvic/lower pressure lately so that has been fun getting used to.  On the positive side, my blood pressure has been MUCH better since I've been treating my asthma.  I've never struggled with high blood pressure (aside from at the end of my last pregnancy), but I always felt that it should be a little lower than it was.  My BP at my last few appointments has been below 110 and just above 60 so I've been really pleased with that.  Even though some of the changes we experience during pregnancy can be unpleasant at times, I am so grateful my body knows what to do and has continued to cooperate so well with everything!    

I felt like the day would never come that I could say this but it actually came quicker than I anticipated! The nursery is ready to be decorated!  I probably sound a little overly enthusiastic when I talk about Austin's little bedroom but after everything we've been through (and considering Eli never had a true nursery), having a separate space for this baby is hard for me to put into words.  To me, it means we've overcome things that I thought would be impossible or take ages to overcome.  I know Austin's nursery will be a place of refuge and many happy memories for me and I am so grateful for all of the hard work that Logan and our siblings have put into it.  I hope they have even a tiny idea of how much I love it!  The carpet got put in on Tuesday and it was the perfect finishing touch.  Tomorrow the plan is to get all of the furniture out of storage and get it set up so I can officially start decorating.  I am so excited :) 

Weight: 136.6 (This week: +2.4 | Total: +15.8)

24 weeks down, 14 (hopefully!) to go! **I will deliver no later than 38 weeks**

Other Life Updates...

I don't have the energy right now to do separate blog posts for everything that we've been up to but I want to at least get them written down so I don't forget everything!

-Logan is enjoying his classes this semester and continues to do really well in them.  He has nights that he has to stay up until the wee hours of the morning but I know it will pay off in the end!  He met with a counselor recently and decided to double minor so that added a few classes to his load but it looks like he will finish with all of his classes in December and then he'll have his Capstone in January and officially be done next Spring.  We both love seeing a light at the end of the tunnel!

-Logan also loves his job and is learning so much that will really benefit him as he prepares for PA school.  I love seeing him happy at the end of each work day!

-As always, I am very grateful for my job and love working with family but I still can't help but count down the days until I get to stay home and be a mom!  Only 3 more months! 

-Logan and I had a fun Valentine's Day that we both loved because it was pretty low-key.  Logan came home from work on Friday with a dozen roses, which I loved, and on Saturday morning we went to breakfast at our favorite place--Eggs In the City.  It was pretty crowded but as always, was worth the wait!  On Saturday night Logan made a delicious homemade dinner of steak and vegetables and we spent the rest of the night watching a movie.  It was perfect!

 

These Nutella/Fruit filled crepes are amazing!

And so was Logan's Greek Skillet!

My lame attempt at a "gift".  I think we'd both rather not spend much money :)

-We have been extra spoiled this week with fun things going on!  Tomorrow we are going to the Jazz game with some friends and it will mark the third Jazz game we've been to this week without paying a penny!

First game of the week against the Spurs

Second game of the week against the Lakers

-A couple weeks ago my parents officially booked our traditional family trip to Newport and we are all so excited!  I have dreamt about going on this trip with a baby for so long because my nieces and nephews have so much fun and it's actually going to happen this year!  Austin will be little in August but as long as he's healthy we're planning on taking him and I know it's going to be so much fun :)

That just about sums up what's going on in our lives right now!  I'm excited to spend the next few months growing this baby, decorating his nursery, and looking forward to warm weather and vacations!

23 Weeks

Week 23 was a good one!  My biggest complaint right now is that my nausea seems to have returned unfortunately.  I'm not throwing up every day but I spent the first 3-4 hours each morning pretty upset to my stomach and had to use all my will power to keep my breakfast down.  Fingers crossed this is just a quick phase that passes soon!  I'm bummed I didn't do a better job of blogging during my pregnancy with Eli because I've forgotten so much about when I experienced certain things with him.  For example, my feet already started getting swollen and itchy this week and I've just felt a little off.  I know it's all normal and I guess my body is just in a transition stage but it hasn't been too pleasant.  Hopefully my energy picks up and I feel a little better this next week!

We had our regular appointment with our OB on Wednesday and it went really well!  It was so great talking to him since we hadn't seen him in a month and so much had happened since then.  He had received a letter from IMC explaining what was going on but we were able to give him even more details so it was nice to bring him up to speed.  He felt awful for us and said: "Man, you guys have the worst luck!  You'd be better off having no luck but you got stuck with bad luck."  Haha.  He's so great and I always feel so much better after seeing him.  We're going to continue our appointments with him just like normal with the hope that I go full term without anything too out of the ordinary happening.  I like that plan a lot!  I'm measuring right on track and Austin sounded great and was moving around for him so we definitely couldn't have asked for more out of our appointment.  Now I have the lovely glucose test to look forward to next time!

It's easy to see/feel that Austin is quickly getting bigger and stronger because I feel him all the time now and Logan has felt some pretty strong movements too!  Nothing brings a smile to my face easier than feeling this little guy move all around and make his presence known.  We want him to stay in for several more months but we are both getting so excited to welcome him to our little family.

The nursery is just about there!  We will finish up some last minute painting this weekend and we also plan to shop for carpet tomorrow.  As soon as the carpet is in I will be free to decorate!  I have a million different ideas in my mind of what I want to do and my sister-in-law is going to be an amazing help as well with her interior design skills.  We didn't have a bedroom for Eli so this is my first time getting to decorate an actual nursery and I'm loving it :)

It's hard to believe that it has already been a week and a half since our last MCA scan but we have another one coming up on Wednesday!  We're both confident Austin will look healthy and not present any major issues. They will also be doing a growth scan this time so it will be fun to see how he's doing in that department as well.  Fingers crossed for good results next week!

Weight: 134.2 (This week: +.2 | Total: +13.4)

23 weeks down, 15 (hopefully!) to go!  **I will deliver no later than 38 weeks**  

22 Weeks

The biggest event of the week was definitely our second MCA scan!  Thankfully it went really well and Austin continues to please his parents and the doctors.  They had a difficult time getting a good reading because he was moving around so much so the tech would push on my stomach to help him move to a better position and he would just put his head higher and higher in my ribs.  At one point the tech said that she hadn't seen such an active baby in a long time.  We loved hearing that!  **When I told my family about that my brother said: "We will call him Wiggles."  I won't be one bit surprised if that happens and if it sticks...haha.** After about 30 minutes of trying they were finally able to get an accurate reading.  I've included the graph they mark each time for our future reference and for anyone else that's interested.

The graph is pretty self explanatory so you can see that we hope to stay in Zone D the entire time.  The bottom number is how many weeks I am and the number on the left side shows the rate at which he pumps blood to his brain.  The first dot (19 weeks, 4 days) was right around a peak velocity of 19 and the second dot (21 weeks 5 days) was about 21.  His peak velocity is expected to steadily increase over the course of my pregnancy, we just hope it's gradual so we can stay in the safe zone.  As long as Austin stays in Zone D, we only have to go back every 2-3 weeks.

I asked for clarification on when I will be induced if he continues to do well and not need any transfusions.  As we expected, I won't go longer than 37-38 weeks.  We will do an MCA scan at 35 weeks and depending on what his level is at that appointment, they will determine when I will be induced but it would no later than three weeks from then.  Another question I asked was if Austin would have to be taken to the NICU right away or if we'll get a chance to see him first and the doctor said that if he is stable up until delivery there's no reason we shouldn't be able to stay with him for awhile.  That made my mommy heart happy!  He did remind us that he'll likely be born with jaundice but that's totally fine because we've always loved yellow anyway ;)  Overall we are very pleased with how the appointment went!  Baby boy continues to cooperate well and make us all proud.

I still haven't had a chance to talk to my OB since he got back in town yesterday but we have our regular monthly appointment with him next week so we'll be able to talk to him about everything and find out whether or not he can deliver at IMC at that time.  My fingers and toes are still crossed that he'll be able to come deliver!

Even though we still have a ways to go with this pregnancy, the doctors at PCH have been so great about getting the orders ready for Austin's lab work once he's born that will confirm he doesn't have SCID.  Our pediatrician has a copy of the orders and so do we.  It's comforting knowing we'll be all set in that regard when delivery comes. 

My nausea is just about gone!  I threw up once this week and had a couple close calls after that but for the most part I feel so much better.  I sleep great right now and often sleep through the night without having to use the bathroom.  I try to get all my water drinking in by dinner time so my bladder can be as empty as possible when I go to bed and it seems to really help.  I know I'll get to the point where I'm waking up at least once a night so I will cherish this time while it lasts.

Little man's movements started to become much stronger this week and it's so much fun!  Logan has felt tiny movements a couple times but nothing super strong yet so we're both looking forward to that happening!  I feel him the most at night and in the morning and I can't think of a better way to go to sleep or wake up each day :)

The paint in the nursery is up and it looks better than I could have imagined!  I was nervous choosing the color because the bedroom only has one tiny window so natural light is hard to come by but it looks awesome!  Before we have the carpet installed there's a few finishing touches that need to be completed and that should happen within the next few days.  The room should be completely finished and ready to be decorated in about two weeks!

Weight: 134.0 (This week: -.2 | Total: +13.2)

22 weeks down, 16 (hopefully!) to go! **I will deliver no later than 38 weeks**

21 Weeks

Once again, I'm going to feel like a broken record but I have to start this post by doing my best to express the gratitude we feel for the outpouring of love and support we received this past week.  Every single comment, text message, phone call, etc. was such a lift and brought such comfort to us.  We have undoubtedly felt the power of each prayer offered on our behalf and feel a special peace regarding our situation that we hadn't felt before.  I wish we could do more than say thank you!

I want to quickly share a sweet experience that my mom had on Friday morning last week, just a few days after we discovered the Rh issues.  This is definitely a tender mercy we don't want to forget.  My mom works in the temple on Tuesdays and Thursdays but she got a call late Thursday night asking if she could come in and help for a few hours on Friday because the temple was so busy.  She knew she had a full day herself but felt like she should be there to help as long as she could.  As she was changing in the temple, she started chatting with an elderly woman who was telling my mom that when she was born, all of her internal organs were reversed.  At one point my mom asked her if she was ever able to have children because of it and she said: "Oh yes, and I have Rh negative blood and that was back before the RhoGam shot so each of my kids was at risk because they had positive blood but they are all healthy!"  My mom hadn't mentioned me at all so she couldn't believe the timing of this conversation.  I know that experience wasn't a coincidence at all but a blessing and message for us.  We may have a tougher time getting our babies here but I'm confident we'll be very blessed in that regard when all is said and done.  I've listened to the following song a number of times but up until this past week I've never really paid attention to the lyrics and I love them.  I think they're perfect for what we're going through right now and I like to imagine Eli saying these words to us.

May the good Lord bless and keep you

Whether near or far away

May you find that long awaited

Golden day today.

May your troubles all be small ones

And your fortunes ten times ten

May the good Lord bless and keep you

Till we meet again.

May you walk with sunlight shining

And a bluebird in every tree

May there be a silver lining

Back on every cloud you see.

Fill your dreams with sweet tomorrows

Never mind what might have been

May the good Lord bless and keep you

Till we meet again.

Listening to this song helps remind me to always keep a positive attitude, be grateful for the blessings we're given during trials, and to not look back and wish for things that weren't part of God's plan.

This week was calm and event free and that's just how we like it!  We have another MCA scan on Wednesday so we're looking forward to seeing how little Austin is doing.  I've written down a few questions that I'm excited to get answers to and my OB gets back in town next week after being gone for 2 1/2 weeks so I can't wait to talk to him about everything that has happened since he left.  Next week's update should include a lot of (hopefully) good news/info!  We did receive the results of some more blood work they ran at our first MCA scan last last week and the news was unsurprising.  We learned two things: 1. He's a boy and 2. He has positive blood.  There was a TINY chance he had negative blood and then all that has happened wouldn't matter anymore but the doctors were pretty sure that wasn't the case otherwise I wouldn't have become sensitized and created the antibodies.  We decided to check just to be sure.  Oh, and it's nice to know that he's still a boy :)

The throwing up has slowed down considerably and it's SO nice!  I only threw up two times this week and I don't even feel too sick when I don't.  I think it's safe to say I'm finally moving past that awfulness!  Food is becoming much more bearable and there aren't too many things I won't eat (aside from red sauce!).  Feeling better physically will definitely help me deal with the other concerns we have about this pregnancy now so I'm really happy I'm feeling so much better.

I'm starting to feel more and more movement but because of the placement of the placenta (right on my stomach) I don't feel as much as I did at this point with Eli.  If he's low or more on the side then I can feel little kicks but nothing right in front.  However, one day this week I went to sit down at the table to eat dinner and he kicked me so hard I seriously thought Logan had walked over and pushed on my stomach super hard.  I was like: "Hey!" and I looked around and he was across the room.  It was super weird.  Sometimes I feel like I crush him when I sit down and it freaks me out. 

The nursery continues to come together quickly and I'm so excited about it!  Mud and tape is finished and tomorrow Logan and my brother and sister-in law will paint!  I've been pushing to get the room done before I get too far along (and many people have thought I'm crazy) because I didn't want to be scrambling at the end trying to get it all together.  Now that I will deliver at least a couple weeks early I'm so happy they're making such good time.  And let's be honest, I just can't wait to decorate! :)

Weight: 134.2 (This week: +2.2...¯\_(ツ)_/¯ | Total: + 13.4)

21 weeks down, 19 (hopefully!) to go!