20 Weeks = Halfway

Ok, so I said I would post yesterday, but I was so tired, I couldn't keep my eyes open. Forgive me. :) First,  I wanted to say that he has a name! DAVIS BROWN WYATT! Long before we knew whether the baby was a boy or a girl, we chose names...thinking it would save the "discussion" once we knew. Brandon chose the girl name, I chose the boy name. I had originally planned to name him Davis Wayne (B's middle name), unless he was born on April 21st, which is my Popper's birthday (his middle name is Brown). As soon as we found out it was a boy, Brandon said he liked Brown better as a middle name and I wasn't going to object! So, Davis Brown it is. Thursday, while we were in Vegas (a post for another day), was the 20 week mark (And, my daddy's birthday! Happy Birthday Daddy!). According to all of my information, he is now measured from the top of his head, to his heel. Until now, he was measured only down to his bottom. He should be approximately 10 inches long, and weigh approximately 10 1/2 ounces. His digestive system is starting to work, and his bowels are beginning to build up meconium (first poop). Before we left for Vegas, B made a 20 week sign, and we carefully packed it. Here we are on Thursday:

I don't know why blogger insists on turning this picture around. It's the right way on the computer. Oh well...tilt your head.

We had the fetal MRI last Tuesday before we left, but havn't heard any results yet. Ugh. We go tomorrow for the appointment with Dr. Tabor...the new specialist;  the one who will deliver Davis. I'll update tomorrow night about that appointment. Keep praying!!

Pardon my absence...we have been in Vegas!! We are back and I will update tomorrow night (saturday).

A Long Day

UPDATE:
We have some appointments scheduled! YAY! We are going for the Fetal MRI Tuesday, December 8th at 3:00pm so we can find out EXACTLY what everything looks like. We have an appointment with the NEW specialist for me...one we like much better...who will deliver the baby (Dr. Tabor). This appointment is Monday, December 14th at 10:15am. And...we have an appointment with the Neurosurgeon who will close the baby's back after birth (Dr. Roberts) on December 30th, at 11:00am(I think).

ORIGINAL POST:
We spent 4 hours at the doctor this morning. It was a long, draining 4 hours. First, I will say that we are absolutely certain the baby is a BOY! He was not even a little bit shy...and didn't stop moving the entire time we were there (I didn't feel most of that movement). He does, however, have spina bifida. When the doctor was scanning the spine, I thought I saw it and almost threw up. She said we can't say for sure which type it is at this point, but she is almost certain it's myelomeningocele. That being said, there is a very small chance there was a layer of skin covering it, which would make it meningocele spina bifida. She measured the sac sticking out of the back and it was 1 cm x 2 cm, and it appeared to be only in the sacral spine (the bottom). She said the location, as it looks on ultrasound, and the size are VERY good, and VERY small. If you are going to have a lesion in the spine, that's where you want it...the butt. The lower the "spot," the less can be affected...less nerves, less of a chance the bowel or bladder will be affected, and less of a chance for his legs to be paralyzed. The doctors are in the process of setting up a fetal MRI, and it will tell us exactly where it is. First we pray it's gone, second we pray it's WAY down towards the bottom! One piece of VERY good news is that at this point, the brain is NOT affected...praise God! I had an amniocentesis today to test for the 5 most common chromosomal abnormalities as well...I don't need any suprises at birth. We should get the results of that in 3-5 business days. I'm not sure what they're testing for. We already tested negative for Down Syndrome and Trisomy 18, which are the 2 most common chromosomal abnormalities, so I assume they are testing for the next 5 on the list.

Other than the MRI, there is nothing else we can do at this point. Now, we wait until April. I will have to have a c-section, which does NOT thrill me. I hate surgery, but going through the birth canal would paralyze him. We don't want that! They'll take him out, and he'll go straight to the NICU. After about 24 hours, he'll have surgery to close his back, and then we wait some more. Well, wait, and start physical therapy...just in case. If I didn't mention it before, he was moving both legs...drawing them up to his chest, and kicking them out. That could be uncomfortable in a few months, but a VERY good sign! :) He was also playing with the umbilical cord...that was kind-of cute. :)

Oh, I almost forgot. They said this spina bifida is NOT related to a vitamin deficiancy (I already take 8 mg's of folic acid...only 1 mg is recommended), and there is NO genetic component. They said the odd's of finding 2 babies in one family, in one year for sure, doesn't happen...certainly not in cousins considered "5 relations apart," which is what they said this baby and Cannon will be. Those "statistics" (there were numbers involved) did not make this person who likes to have reasons for things feel better. But, like Allison said...they'll have each other!

I think that's the "highlight" version of the visit. Now, a couple of pictures. I can't get the scanner to work right for pics, so I took pictures of the pictures. These are the best we got. Like I said, he was constantly moving, which was good/fun to see, but made it very difficult for the sonographer to get good pictures.

Here's the money shot. For some reason, blogger feels it needs to be turned this way. Whatever. That's his right leg and the arrow points to the obvious. :)

This was one she caught of his left foot right before he kicked her. I LOVE baby feet!

I think that's everything. If I did forget something, I'll add it later. Again, Keep praying! We need it and we can feel it!

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving. We always stay here since Brandon has to work. I cooked turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing (from a box), mac-n-cheese, jellied cranberries (from a can), brown and serve rolls, a homemade pumkin pie...for just the 2 1/2 of us. :) This year, B decided he did not want sweet potatoes, but I love the toasted marshmellows off the top, so I lined a pan with foil, and toasted marshmellows. I'm a grown-up...and trying to gain back those 2 pounds I lost last week...I'm allowed. They were GOOD! After we ate, we went to see the movie "Blind Side." Well worth the time/money...GREAT movie! We both loved it. After the movie, we came home to put up the Christmas tree and watch the cowboy game we recorded, but we (read: I) were tired, so we opted to just watch the game. Thursday was also 18 weeks! The baby should be approximately 5 1/2 inches long and weigh about 7 ounces. I forgot to mention last week, but I've been feeling the baby move quite a bit for over a week now (since 17 weeks, 2 days). Cannon was laying on me having a bottle the day before, which was technically the first time, but I couldn't tell if it was the baby moving or Cannon tooting. :)  Brandon has felt it a few times too! Here we are...

I think B has fun making these signs. :)

In an attempt to continue to busy ourselves this weekend, we went to watch Abilene High play Cedar Hill Friday afternoon. We were told that Cedar Hill is supposedly the #1 ranked team in Texas, and #3 in the nation. The first 3 quarters were close (if I remember correctly, we lead the whole game), but after a 97 yard touchdown run, Abilene High took off. It really was a good game. After watching only college/professional games for the last 10 years, it was fun to watch a full game in only about 2 1/2 hours. They really are good, and I'm told we're going to go watch them this next Friday against Arlington Bowie at UTA.

After the game, we came home and decorated the house for Christmas. I LOVE it! After Christmas last year we bought our first full-size tree. I must say, the tree skirt Aunt Barbara made for us (wedding present) looks MUCH better under an appropriately sized tree! See...

Saturday evening we went to watch Tech play Baylor at the Cowboys stadium. It wasn't pretty, but it was a win! At times, they looked somewhat like a high school team at the beginning of a season, but they pulled it together enough for a win. We both had a blast! Here's a look at that (warning: picture overload)...

This little cutie was sooo good the whole time! We only saw him smile a few times...he was too busy taking it all in!

It wouldn't be a game if Coach Leach didn't yell at the ref's a few times. Once, one of them nudged him back off the field. I say nudged. It was more like pushed, but he did avoid the flag. :)

Though I have no picture proof from today, we bought some cabinets to put out in the garage and started moving my work stuff out. We still have a long way to go, but it's a start. Some may call it "early nesting," but I call it "trying to keep busy until Tuesday."

I'll be back Tuesday night to update on our appointment (and whether it is a boy or a girl!). Keep praying!

Prayers & Thanksgiving

Monday afternoon the doctor's office called with the results of my penta screen (also known as a quintuple screen). Everything was negative for Trisomy 18 and Downs Syndrome, but the portion that screens for neural tube defects (like spina bifida) was positive. The neural tube consists of the brain and spinal cord. The worst-case-scenario would be that there is no brain or spinal cord. We know that's not the case, because we've seen both on previous sonograms...that's a good thing! At this point, we know nothing else. The doctor said there is a strong chance that it could be a false positive, but we won't know until we see the specialist next week. Our appointment is Tuesday, December 1st at 1:00pm. We will meet with a genetic counselor, then have a Level II ultrasound (at least we'll get REALLY good pictures). We will definately find out whether it's a boy or girl...and get a perfect picture. :) This has been a hard few days, and we still have nearly a week to go. We appreciate prayers for the baby and for us.

Technically, it's after midnight; therefore, it's Thanksgiving. It doesn't matter what the doctor tells us next week. We are thankful for this baby and will do whatever we need to.

I didn't get around to posting last week at 17 weeks. It wasn't a "picture" week, but supposedly weighed approximately 5 ounces. A baseball weighs 5 ounces and Brandon had to have a picture! :)

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving! We'll let you know what the doctor says Tuesday. Until then, thank you all for your prayers!

16 Weeks

As of yesterday, we are 16 weeks! Though the all day, every day headache continues; the all day every day "morning" sickness appears to be a thing of the past! Praise the Lord! That was getting old! The baby is now approximately 4 1/2 inches long and weighs about 3 1/2 ounces. We have an avacado! :) Not many changes this week, other than just getting bigger. He/she now has eyelashes and eyebrows, and even though the eyelids are still sealed, the eyes are finally working! I'm told that if we shine a light into my belly, the baby will turn away from it. We will likely not be testing that. We can't see (or feel) it moving away, so why torture the unborn. He/she will get enough of that once living on the outside.

I had my 16 week appointment today. No sonogram. This doctor waits until 20 weeks to do the anatomy scan. Since we weren't going to get to see it this time, Brandon didn't go, so my mom went. I'm certain hearing the heartbeat was the highlight of her year! In fact, most of you got a video text of that. The doctor said everything looked good. The baby's heartrate was between 150-160 (as it has been all along). Hopefully the headaches will be going away soon too (she said usually between 16-20 weeks). They did the Penta Screen, also known as a "quintuple screen." It used to be the "triple screen" and then the "quad-screen," but they've added to it in the last few years and many doctors do the quintuple/penta, and I wasn't going to object. The primary things they are checking for are Down Syndrome, Trisomy 18, and Spina Bifida. We should get the results next week. I also got my swine flu vaccine today!!! I think that was the highlight of the visit for me! I fall into the high risk category for so many reasons...pregnant, with asthma, working in healthcare, working with children, and working with medically fragile children at that. A relief for sure!

I scheduled my next appointment for December 4th. We will check to make sure the face, brain, spine, hands, feet, fingers, toes, and ears all look good, THEN we will find out of we are having a boy or girl! Many have asked...and the answer is no, we don't care what it is...as long as it is HEALTHY!! However, Brandon thinks it's a girl. I have absolutely no idea what it is...I am certain it is either a boy or girl, but I have no feeling either way. We shall see in 3 weeks.

Brandon took the 16 week picture yesterday, and only this morning did I realize I was wearing the same thing. Oh well...I suppose it makes it easier to compare! :)

15 Weeks

Today we're 15 weeks! According to my emails (and book) the baby is approximately 4 1/2 inches long and weighs 2-3 ounces. It's approximately the size of a large orange or apple. The eyes are moving closer to the correct place...thank goodness...we don't want eyes over the ears! :) He/she now has the ability to suck, swallow, and breathe - all at once. A milestone that makes this speech pathologist VERY happy. It's also moving around like crazy - kicking legs, moving arms, and wiggling fingers and toes - though I still feel none of this. In due time, I know. Next week we go back to the doctor, but no sonogram this time. She waits until 20 weeks to do the big anatomy scan. I ready for that appointment. We'll take a good look at fingers, toes, ears, face, spine, and brain making sure everything looks good. Once we've checked all of those things, we'll also make sure to find out if it's a Boy or Girl!! Come on December! But, I'm practicing patience...first things first. Next week, listening to the heartbeat and a lot more bloodwork.