The little one has arrived!

I'm going to sit and write the whole birth story soon, but just wanted to do a quick update for now!
"B" arrived on Wednesday March 27th at 7:23AM. The adorable bundle of joy weighed in at 9lbs 5oz and was 21 inches long. His parents are thrilled, he is perfect, and I'm recovering well.

14 days left!

I can't believe how close we are now! Two weeks from today I'll be delivering baby boy "B" to his family! I'm starting to get excited, but I think since I'm not to that really uncomfortable stage yet it doesn't feel like its as close as it is. Things have been going really well again now that my rash is under control. The diagnosis was actually changed to "pemphigoid gestationis" (verified by biopsy) which is a rare pregnancy related autoimmune disease. My OB had me start oral steroids and now I'm down to a very low daily dose. This, along with a cream, and antihistimines, has helped tremendously. I still itch throughout the day, but its nothing compared to what it was like a few weeks ago. My OB isn't very concerned about it causing problems and also said it shouldn't prevent me from being pregnant again, although it could happen again.
I had a bit of a "maybe in labor" scare over the weekend and went and got checked at the hospital. I was having mild contractions picked up by the machine ever 3-5 minutes but they were hardly noticable. The bag of waters was intact (and was felt "bulging") and no dilation. I'm thinking we will make it to our section date of the 27th.
Tuesday I had an OB appointment, which K and also my sister Lacey came to. I was glad K and my sister finally got to meet, and we had a great time at a local baby store after the appointment. The OB visit went well, my belly is measuring as it should be and all is well. B's heartrate was 141, which is about what it has been for several weeks now.
K texted me later and said that her boys were so upset that she didn't bring B home with her! They are so ready to welcome their baby brother! I love it!

March 6th- 35weeks6days

34 weeks

Yesterday I had an OB appointment and sonogram. K wasn't able to make it to this one, but both K and M are planning to come to our next appointment Tuesday. The sonogram went well, and B was head down, but "oblique", he was laying diagonally across my abdomen, and facing out! He measured 6lbs 13oz, which is pretty large since average for 34 weeks is 4.75lbs! We will do another sono next week to see if these measurements were just "off" for some reason, and to check fluid again (which was fine this week.)

Dr Reeves looked at my rash again and advised me to see a dermatologist as soon as possible. Since I had class yesterday afternoon, K called the dermotology office for me and got me an appointment this morning. I brought my munchkins with me and they did so well during the appointment :) Dr H says he believes it is PUPPPs, although its definitely not a "textbook case." He have me some samples of a cream and wrote me a prescription to fill if its helping. He also suggested talking to Dr Reeves about an antihistimine to help relieve the itching. It likely won't go away until a week or so after delivery. It certainly is an aweful itch and the best relief seems to be when I'm in the bath or shower. Luckily it doesn't itch ALL day long, it comes and goes, but when it itches, it is very irritating!Here is some info about PUPPP (Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy)
http://dermatology.about.com/cs/pregnancy/a/puppp.htm
Other than that, the pregnancy is going perfectly! I can't believe we are less than 5 weeks from delivery now!

33 weeks

Well little "B" cooperated for his second 3D sonogram! I was sad that his family missed it, but glad the tech was able to get some great shots this time!

1/28/13 30weeks+4days

He still has been having the hiccups alot, at least a few times every day!
The pregnancy has been going well. We had an appointment February 7th, measuring right on track. The C section has been scheduled for March 27th. After our appointment, K and I met Wendy and Denise at the hospital and met with the head nurse there to discuss how we wanted everything to go, and for a quick tour. We also pre-registered and met with the birth certificate worker. Everything is good to go for the big day! I am so pleased with the hospital, they were wonderful when I had my son there, and I anticipate everything will go smoothly with this delivery and recovery. It made it seem like we are getting so close to the end to go and have that meeting. We still have a little over 5 weeks from now, I'm sure part of it will fly by but it seems to fluctuate with how fast and slow different parts of this pregnancy has felt. It was so great to get to spend time with K again, and she'll be here Wednesday for our next appointment too. I'm so glad she's been able to come to nearly every appointment despite the drive.
Not long after the appointment I started noticing bumps on my belly. In a few days there were quite a bit and it was itching so bad. I went in on Wednesday the 13th to have Dr Reeves look at it. Lo and behold, I have poison ivy! He put me on a med pack and its stopped spreading. Its looking better but still itches quite a bit. K suggested calamine lotion and I've been using that alot the last couple of days too.
According to babycenter.com, B weighs as much as a pineapple, just over 4 pounds, and is over 17 inches long.

Quick update

K and M and all their little ones came into town Thursday for an appointment. The visit with the doctor went well. B was practically turning flips to avoid us hearing his heartbeat but we finally got a couple seconds here and there! We could see him moving around, pretty funny! We discussed the c section again, and looks like March 28 will be the big day, as long as I'm not showing any signs of labor. After the dr visit, we all gathered into the sonogram room for a 3d ultrasound. It was great to catch a couple glimpses of B but the tech really couldn't get a good clear shot. When his hands weren't covering his face, he had his face right up against the placenta, making it impossible to get a clear view. I was pretty disappointed since the whole family was there to see him, but that's just how it goes sometimes! We are going back in on Monday to try again, and K will be coming alone most likely. Fingers crossed we get a better look this time! From the little bit we saw, you can already see similarities with his siblings! Very cool!

29 weeks

Today marks 29 weeks! Baby boy (I'll call him "B")  has the hiccups right now, and has been having them alot since I first felt them about a week or two ago. According to babycenter.com, he is around 15 inches long, and about 2.5 pounds. Yesterday I did the glucose lab, and today I got the call that all is good with my insulin and iron levels. I talk to K today and she and the family are very excited about our 3-D sonogram next week! I can't wait! K and M and their oldest 3 children will be attending the appointment. They will be bringing a sitter for their youngest, and my kids and mom will likely be keeping them company during our appointment. This week we submitted all the paperwork to insure K and M go directly on "B"s birth certificate, and if all that is done in time, we will go to the hospital after our appointment Thursday to get everything prepared! I can't believe we're only about 10 weeks away from delivery! I'm so thankful that this pregnancy has treated me as well as my others, and so far I haven't even been having the hip pain I had in my pregnancies with my kids. I have been having those fun Braxton Hicks contractions in the evenings, just as I did while pregnant with my son. I actually kinda enjoy them especially since I won't be laboring with this delivery. (Not sure if that makes sense to many, but it does to me!)

27 weeks + 6 days - Jan 9

A couple weeks ago, K and I decided to get together for lunch and have all the kids finally meet! (And my first time to meet their older kids.) It was alot of fun! We went to Cheddar's for lunch, then went to the Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin. The kids all had a blast and the zoo was really nice. I loved seeing the kids together! It was pretty cute when we first got seated at the restaurant, one of the boys said "Hey! You have our baby in there!" when he noticed my belly. Then when it was time to leave the boys wanted to take B home with them. Almost, but he needs to grow a bit more!

K and M's kids and my kids- Jan 3rd

25 weeks

Yesterday marked 25 weeks! Moving right along! K came into town for a regular OB appointment on Monday. She came by the house to pick me up, and she brought some Christmas presents for the kids and each of them a shirt from their family trip to Disney world! So sweet and the kids love the doll and pirate ship!
At the office, we ended up having to wait a while. Two of the ladies from the agency met us up there and kept us company in the waiting room. Everything looked good with my health and the baby's. I am a tad concerned with my recent weight gain (6 pounds since the last appointment!) but my doctor isn't so I suppose I'm doing good! Baby's heart rate was 141 this time. He was kicking around while the nurse was doing the Doppler, but sadly K didn't get to feel him this visit. In a few weeks I will go in just for the glucose lab (diabetes screen), then on January 24 K and M (and probably one or more of baby's big siblings) will be able to come to the next appointment which will include a 3-D ultrasound! How fun! I had one done during my first pregnancy and it was so neat! I think it will be really special for baby's family to get to "see" him before he's born! Oh and they have decided on a first name! Yay!

 

Here's one from 25 weeks 4 days (Christmas Eve)

20 weeks

Thursday marked 20 weeks! The baby has been moving and I think we're almost to the point of feeling his movements from the outside of my belly! I can still tell the difference though with the anterior placenta (as opposed to with my kids, posterior placentas). My next OB appointment is tomorrow, and K may not make it to this one if she doesn't find a sitter for the kids. But hopefully the next time I see her she will get to feel her little one's kicks!
I woke up early Friday morning sick and it continued throughout the day. I started having sharp cramps that felt like contractions to me during the day so I called my OBs on call line and he got back to me and said to only drink water, Sprite, and Ginger-ale, no food, for at least 24 hours. He said that cramps and even contractions are common when you are sick and dehydrated, but if they got severe or persisted to go in to L&D at the hospital. He said if the cramps had stopped within the 24 hours that I could switch to the BRAT diet. (Bananas, rice, applesauce, toast). It was a little scary having the sharp contractions, but they were up higher only, and I knew everything would be okay. I checked the baby's heartbeat and continued to feel him moving, so besides feeling terrible, I was at peace. Thankfully this morning I'm feeling almost 100% better and my appetite is back full force, just a little weak from not eating much the last two days.
Here is a picture from Thursday. The left side of the picture is from babycenter.com.
K & M's baby is about 10 inches long from head to heel now; and is producing meconium which will accumulte in his intestines until he's here and makes that first poopy diaper, which his wonderful parents will be so happy to change!

20 weeks

Sono picture

This is from the last appointment, baby was sucking his thumb in the bottom picture, so cute. K&M have now shared the news with their family and friends, and their kids are so excited of course!
I started feeling some movement two days ago, they're still subtle but I am glad to feel the kicks/stretches!

17.5 weeks

Today K & M drove down for an appointment, which included the anatomy sonogram. We found out baby is a boy! They planned on telling the big siblings tonight about the baby, then later do a gender reveal for them with balloons in a box! Funny thing is, although they still did not know about the pregnancy and soon-to-be sibling, one of the boys recently requested "a baby brother that is a boy". So cute! Although big sister argued she'd prefer another little sister! I'm sure either way all four big siblings will be so excited to welcome their baby brother in five months!
We also found out at the appointment that the placenta is on top (anterior) which is what I was suspecting since I have yet to feel any for-sure fetal movements. It still may be a few more weeks before I can feel anything because of this. Its fairly common and shouldn't cause any issues with the pregnancy or delivery.
When Dr Reeves was adjusting the due date back to April 4th, (it had somehow got changed in the computer to April 2) he said March 28th would be when he would recommend scheduling the repeat c-section for! That will be on Olivia's 4th birthday! I think that would be so special if it works out to have him on that day! One of the happiest days of my life, and now might be the day I deliver a family's bundle of joy to them! Olivia was thrilled to hear this news!
The baby was measuring 18 weeks today (will be 18 weeks on Thursday this week), and my uterus is measuring 23cm, big I know!


17weeks1day

16 weeks

Tuesday night I started getting worried that I hadn't felt the baby's movements yet. I couldn't remember when I felt Olivia and Conner's first flutters, so I tried looking back through old emails and such, and found I had probably felt Olivia around 18 weeks, and no clue about Conner. Once I got myself worrying it was hard to shake, so I told Mike yesterday morning that I was worried and was going to call my doctor and see if I could go in for a quick heartbeat check. I let K know and she was praying and nervous too. I think we both still felt that everything was okay, but better to check and have peace of mind. I called and got an appointment for 2:30, and me and the kids headed to my moms house to visit my nephew who was visiting. The kids stayed while I went to the appointment. Once there, the nurse did the routine checks and then used the doppler to find the baby's heartbeat. It felt like it took sooo long to find, but once she caught it for a split second we heard why. The baby must have been turning flips because we could hear the commotion. He/she then calmed down and let us listen to the heartbeat for a while at 154 beats per minute. Dr Reeves came in and talked to me and reassured me that I do everything I'm supposed to, my previous pregnancies have had great outcomes and so will this one. He also said its common when you're dealing with someone else's kid (he calls them kids, even when they're itty bitty in utero) to be more cautious. We are keeping our next appointment on October 29, which will include an ultrasound! K will be coming and will likely have the sonographer write down baby's gender and do a "gender reveal" with her family. I'm also having Mike come with me to this next appointment. I want him to be able to see the doctor again too before the day of delivery.
Yesterday evening I went to a friends house to pick up a pocket doppler which she's letting me borrow. Olivia and I tried it out this morning and I love it!
Today is exactly 16 weeks, less than a month away from halfway!
Baby's heart is pumping about 25 quarts of blood per day, his/her toenails have started growing, and baby will double in weight over the next few weeks.
I'm feeling good, and haven't had any crazy cravings lately, just been on this lemon water kick, with a very high lemon to water ratio! So sour but so good. I of course don't do it too often since I need it to be real lemon. I tried the packaged kind and it is not the same! In fact I'm going to squeeze the other half of the lemon I have left and have some now! Yum!
Thanks everyone for all the support, it's really great having such positive people around me during this!
The avocado picture is from babycenter.com; the other is Olivia helping me with the heartbeat "microphone."

Recent picture

It seemed like my belly has started growing quite a bit this week, here's a picture from Wednesday (one day shy of 15 weeks)