30 week appointment

Today we had our 30 week appointment. It was great!  The ultrasound was wonderful.  I didn't get any good pictures, but I found out that he is finally head down and the placenta is far away from my cervix.  So, a vaginal delivery without continuous monitoring is expected!

I got all of my questions answered.  I am not ballooning in weight this third trimester which is awesome.  I am healthy, he is healthy.  I couldn't have asked for better.  It was so perfect, I don't even have to go in for a regular 2 week appointment.  I get one more 4 week stretch, so February 28th I will have my next appointment.  

For several reasons, at my last appointment my midwife offered a 39 week induction.  I hadn't even had that thought cross my mind until she said it.  There is a proper medical reasoning with me, but I wanted to do research and talk to people before I made my decision.  Well, the induction is scheduled for April 3, 2014.  The day I turn 39 weeks.  We will try to get him out before that (38 week membrane sweep and evening primrose oil starting then) but that is the finish line.  April 3.  Just a little over 2 months until I get to meet Dorian.

Here are the pictures that I posted on my Facebook page.  My mom couldn't see his face in the ultrasound at all so I decided to put some snazzy stickers on it to help her out.  He is getting to be chunky.   

30 weeks

Today I am 30 weeks pregnant. People in public always seem amazed that I am not on the verge of popping this kid out.  Thanks people.  Yes, I am big. 99% chance that this little boy will be born on or before April 3rd.  Some days I think "what on Earth did I do?!?" and others I feel like "I can do this.".  Well, the "what did I do?" has been winning out more frequently the last little bit.  I just have to remember that I won't be huge and pregnant trying to take care of 2 kids.  I will just have 2 kids.  I can do it...right?  I have an appointment with the midwife on Friday.  I get to have another ultrasound to see where my placenta is located.  

selfies

Ever since I got my iPad, Marsi has been fascinated by taking selfies.  She loves to talk to the baby in the iPad and I am pretty sure she is really understanding that it is her and not some random baby.  Making faces is her favorite thing to do.  Yesterday, I just snapped a lot of pictures of her in all her silliness glory.  She is a really fun little girl.

Marsi's Heart

In my wonderful absence from blogging, I completely forgot to do an update on Marsi's heart.  Wanting to utilize the end of the year savings, I found Marsi a cardiologist and set out to do her 2.5 year check up a little early.

We didn't know what to expect.  It was the first time ever that this cardiologist was seeing Marsi, it could have just been a consult to schedule the tests that needed to be done.  Well, it was the whole shebang!!  Echo, ECG, and full doctor appointment.  It was a long hard morning (with lots of screaming) but, she was good enough during the echo that she didn't need a sedated repeat.

Her heart is healthy!  The little hole in her heart seemed to have closed completely.  They told me to go to the cardiologist one more time at 5 years old before she went into school to just be 100% sure that she had no cardiology issues. Three years without worrying about a cardiologist!

Needless to say, I am very, very happy about this!

Pregnancy update

We found out right before my birthday that we will be welcoming a little boy in April.  Our perfect little pair.  Marsi and Dorian.  Marsi will be just under 2.5 years old when we welcome this blessing into our home.  

We were gifted with a 3D ultrasound of Dorian.  I didn't have this with Marsi, so it was fun to go and see what he should look like when he comes out.  He has my nose and Endrit's mouth.  People say he looks like Marsi, but I am not so sure about that.  He will be unique and cute.

Here is my 28 week picture.  I turn 29 weeks tomorrow.  I am carrying him a lot different than I did Marsi.  His placenta is in a much different place than Marsi's was.  I have gotten a lot more ultrasounds because of it since it is very low, but it is moving in the right direction in preparation for birth.

The pregnancy has gone much better than it did with Marsi.  Less contractions, less nausea.  I still get loads of contractions, but they are not painful like they were with Marsi.  I am hitting 29 weeks which was the start of bed rest with Marsi and I don't think that I will have to do that this go around.  We take it day by day, but we are good.

We are blessed.

Cloth diapers

Have I ever said before that Marsi is huge?  I am sure I have with her being exclusively in 3T clothing now and randomly 4T.  This means that our one size (OS) fuzzibuns, OS Blueberry, OS Alvababy, size1 and 2 OS Sunbaby diapers all got too small for her massive legs a while ago.  I stuffed her into them longer than I should, but the poor red marks on her legs consistently starting to get a rash made me make a choice; potty training, disposable diapers or another investment in larger cloth training diapers for big kids.

I went with potty training first while using disposables.  Big, epic FAIL.  She is so not ready.  Nothing I did, no treats or incentives I tempted her with gave her any interest in the potty.  So, we started buying disposables.  After I bought 3, yes only 3 large boxes of them I rolled my eyes and said WHY? She isn't ready to potty train.  I can buy a whole stash of cloth diapers for 3 months worth of disposables.  Marsi isn't going to be trained in 3 months.  It just isn't going to happen unless a huge miracle strikes.  So, I bought the stash.

Yes, I am a nerd.  I am excited to get Marsi back in cloth!  I am sick of literally throwing money away.  Even with the cheap diapers, it is too expensive.  So, I have a newborn stash, baby stash and toddler potty training stash for up to around 45 lbs. Marsi even saw one of her cloth diapers and was begging me to put that on her instead of the disposables.  She knows what feels good on her tush!

Rough Week Ahead

This week is going to be a rough week.  I am having dead baby nightmares in preparation for my appointment on Wednesday. They start about a week before every appointment.  I am also coming up on the estimated due date of the baby I lost in February.  I would have been due on Monday.  On Tuesday, it is the annual pregnancy and infant loss wave of light I have participated in for 4 years now. Wednesday I have my regular 15 week appointment where I can only hope the baby is well.  Thursday, of my own choosing, we are feeding the sister missionaries.  Busy could be good, but it doesn't take away the fear and aching.