July 17, 2013

Dear Dylan,      

Ecclesiastes 3:
1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Your parents and family have entered upon a season, precious baby boy, where we all eagerly await your arrival. During this season, however, we have also experienced the heart-wrenching loss of one of the greatest men you could have ever known in your lifetime: your Grandpa. It was on this day, July 17, that he gave up his courageous battle against an illness that consumed his body for 18 years. He was so desperately trying to hang on to see you, though, baby Dylan, even if only for another month. He looked forward to having another grandson, and he asked about you daily, even in times when he struggled to understand anything else. He understood how important you are, and he loved you more than you will know. He would reach out from his bed just to touch you in my tummy. It hurts me so much to know that you will never feel the direct touch of his large but comforting hands. However, your dad and I still feel that he will see you and he will know you, and a part of his legacy will live on in you. You may never feel him, or hear his voice, but he will be watching you from Heaven, where he is finally at peace and still, living with the One who created you both.

If he could talk to you, he would tell you he loves you. He would probably tell you he was proud of you, and he would probably encourage you to do anything you wanted or be anything you wanted. He would give you lessons on the facts of life, and you would be at ease just being with him. He would lead you by example to a life of morals and integrity, and the understanding of hard-work and gratefulness for the life you have. Of course, you have your daddy, your mommy, your Nana, your Grandma, your other Grandpa, and a slew of aunts and uncles and cousins to teach you all these things as well. But we will never forget the man you never had the opportunity to meet, and we will tell you about him as often as we can.

We know God has a plan, and all things work together for his purpose, though sometimes its hard to understand. Thanks to the friends and family visits since his passing, I never knew so much about your Grandpa as I do now, even if all we have left are the memories. He truly was a remarkable man, and words can’t express the void he has left in all our hearts. And I hope that when you come, there will be a part of you that is just like him.

Never forget how special or how loved you are, Dylan. You come from a long line of family who will remind you of this, I am sure. And know that this includes the one Grandpa (Paco) who will be smiling down on you from Heaven.

Love, Mom.

July 15, 2013/ July 19, 2013

On Monday, we had a visit with my newer cardiologist's physician's assistant. Since everything cardiac was status quo, it was a very fast appointment. We went over the previous week's incident, and we discussed why donating blood is a bad idea for me.

On Friday, we had a visit with our normal perinatalogist for our standard two-week checkup. Prior to this, we had another ultrasound to check on the baby's size and estimated weight. He was a little sleepy, and his heart-rate at first was only 109, but jumped into the 120s later. It also turns out he is in the 90th percentile and estimated to be 7.1 pounds already, at 34.5 weeks! Finding this information out changed our plan of action a bit. She decided that we would keep a close eye on his size, and there is now a 50/50 chance of doing a C-section instead of attempting to deliver naturally. Before, we had discussed using forceps or a vacuum, but this would not be as effective on a larger baby. The induction is still planned for August 19, though we might go in earlier if he is estimated to be quite large at that time (they are estimated to grow about a half-pound a week for the remainder of time). I will start with an epidural and pushing, but we may change the plans if he is not in a cooperative spirit and the pushing does not go as well as planned. So, as with always, its a wait and see game. :-)

After finishing our appointment at the perinatalogist, we headed over (for the 2nd time in one week!) to Labor and Delivery to have an anesthesia consult, which is recommended practice for high risk pregnancies. She looked at my nasal and throat passages (which, it turns out, are small) and we talked about the general course of action for delivery. Of course, Bryan and I had no questions, as we generally just trust the doctor's judgments, but mostly we have no idea what we are doing, so it was also a very quick visit.

July 11, 2013

Up until this point, we had gone nearly another two months with no hospital visits! Thankfully, however, the visit on this day was not nearly as stressful and almost didn't even happen. I had been at my parent's house the night before, and mentioned to my mom that I had had a few more headaches and periods of light-headedness lately. She mentioned this in a phone call to my sister, who called me and encouraged me to call my doctor, as these can be signs of pre-eclampsia or hypertension. Knowing that nothing is just a simple phone call to my doctor, I waited until the next morning to call. The highest I had seen my blood pressure was 144, but that was after vacuuming. We (as a family) also had been undergoing a lot of stress lately with my dad's ailing health (that is for another post), so this is what I attributed my headaches to.

As expected, once I called the advice nurse, things went from slightly concerning to red alert real fast. Within the first phone call, she asked me a bunch of questions, then told me to take Tylenol and call her back if the headache did not go away by the afternoon. I was satisfied with this answer. But then the nurse called back. She said she talked it over with the doctor on duty (not my normal doctor), and he wanted me to go to Labor and Delivery to get checked out. She told me to call my husband and get there ASAP.

So, this is where we dwelled for the next four hours. We did fetal monitoring via the contraction belt and listened to his heartbeat (it was strong, and I had some mild contractions). The doctor ordered an echocardiogram as well, the results of which the doctor in L&D said looked slightly better than the last test (this could be due to variances in technician's skills). In the end, my blood pressure was lower, my urine showed no protein, and the doctors were satisfied that my headaches were going away with Tylenol. So, we left the hospital with no news being good news, but I sure could've spent those four hours in more productive ways. At least it was nice having peace of mind that Baby Dylan was okay :-).

July 1, 2013

Today was another healthy checkup! We got to hear both my heartbeat and the baby’s, as he was tucked away and hiding. It jumped up a little and is now in the 120 range. He is definitely more active lately! We asked Dr. Williams if she had any more thoughts on the due date, and she said that if nothing happens by August 19, this is the date we will induce! Also, I only have two more weeks (this was week 32) to go before she would let labor continue, if I should begin. I feel like we are so close to being out of the danger zone! On July 19, we will do a growth ultrasound to check his size, and reassess the delivery date, if needed.

Bryan and I celebrated by FINALLY starting to put the nursery together. I wiped down the walls, window, fan, closet shelves, then vacuumed and steamcleaned the carpet. Next the crib/changer and book/toy shelf went up! Now I can start unpacking all the things we have been collecting the past few months, including these adorable decals that I can't wait for him to wear and document each month of growth in :-)! Things are starting to get real!

The Last Three Weeks

The last three weeks (since our last doctor appointment) have been quiet and uneventful in terms of my health! Hooray! Both the echocardiogram and the glucose test came back negative for changes, and I have been feeling somewhat restored of energy since finishing the school year. Bryan took a trip to California, and I resumed my summer job working as an assistant property manager for a local company. No heart issues to speak of, though now it is getting hot, I am getting even more puffy and sweaty, and thus more short on breath. I think this little guy has dropped somewhat, so in terms of pregnancy, my only complaint is the excessive need to pee! He has been busy working on his backstrokes and karate chops in there, and while I am proud of his sweet, innocent endeavors, I would also like to not be disturbed while trying to rest at night :-). Feeling him during the day, though, is always reassuring.

Tomorrow we go see our perinatalogist, and after this appointment, we will see her once every two weeks until closer to delivery date. Tomorrow we hope to get more answers on when to plan on having this baby. My own family situation has changed, and we think my dad is passing away from a long time battle with multiple system atrophy, a neurological condition that slowly (over a couple decades) debilitates his body. He is in the end stages now, though is hanging on until this baby is born. We are believers in God and Heaven, however, and we know that no matter the outcome, he will see this baby. But it would be nice if he could hang on until August. This is also when one of my sisters is planning to arrive to help my mom and help with the baby. So if we could "plan" the delivery time, that would be fantastic. :-)So hopefully tomorrow there will be more updates.

Until then, here is a photographic collection of the past few weeks, as we prepare for this very special arrival:

Baby Dylan (this is his intended name :-)) received his first, very own addressed package in the mail this week! This beautiful quilt came from my sister's mother in law, who my niece affectionately calls Nanny Tanny. She has been praying steadfastly for our health throughout this pregnancy, and she understands Bryan's passion for cars, which may (hopefully) transfer on down the line :-).

 We finally bought our own (very first) brand new couch! No more hand me downs! Once Bryan's brother moved out, we told him to take the old couch and we replaced it with this sectional from Costco.

 Bryan was sure he could fit all three pieces into the bed of our (new to us) truck- a little Ford Ranger! You can't see the doubting Costco employee behind the stacks, gently encouraging him to make separate trips instead.

 I took this picture of the daddy to be on one of our many dinners out this month. You would think with not working over time anymore, I would have more time (or desire) to cook. Nope.

 For the record, this is Fuzzy. I don't think he has been introduced on this blog yet. He is the expectant big brother- 11 years senior. :-)

 And this is my dad. I took this picture of him right before a recent downturn. This was maybe the last time he could sit at the kitchen table (with the help of his wheelchair) and carry on a coherent conversation.

 Bryan has a couple buddies getting married within the year. Should Bryan be a groomsman, I would like to dress Dylan up similarly for kicks. I found this strapping suit at Burlington Coat Factory, and took this picture to remind myself later :-). This suit is very much like the all-white prom suit Bryan proudly wore to our first prom as a "couple" in 2001! (see previous blog)

 

 For our 7th wedding anniversary on June 24, Bryan surprised me at my job with these gorgeous roses and some other treats to enjoy. He is so sweet :-).

 At 31 weeks, Baby is the size of a pineapple- theoretically. Although, he is a hefty one for his age, so we found the biggest pineapple available :-).

 Last summer, I bought this swimsuit on clearance at Old Navy without trying it on first. I was in the middle of a 40 pound weightloss journey, and it ended up being too big! This summer...just the opposite. Not sure yet if we will make it to August in this one :-).

 While Bryan was away in California, I stayed at my parent's house. This provided ample time for Dylan to perform his stunts for Nana (hand pictured on my stomach above). Since Bryan got home, Dylan has been giving him the cold shoulder. No kicks for daddy.

The giant sausages that are my feet. Pour some BBQ sauce on these Lil' Smokies.

 

 Our new living room set. Daddy is working on the crib and nursery furniture as we speak...more pics coming soon!!!

June 10, 2013

On this day, we had a follow up with Cardiologist #2. We were hoping for just a fast appointment, with no questions and a simple once-over. In the beginning, we only discussed the most recent trip to the emergency room. I asked him how bad it really was for the baby when I get shocked. He said most of the electricity flows between my upper chest and upper back, where the paddles go, but that the baby does feel some of the shock effects. He said “We don’t like to go around shocking babies, but if we have to do what’s best for the mom (and essentially the baby), we have to”. Next he took a look at my ankles and listened to my heart. He reminded me that the swelling and shortness of breath can be common both in people with congestive heart failure, and in pregnant women. He then told me it appears like I am showing more signs of the beginnings of heart failure, and suggested I go on another medication to help reduce swelling. More than just causing irritation to my legs (and sometimes making it difficult to walk), the fluid retention can also go up into my lungs and be evident in the veins of my neck, which he indicated he saw. I also told him I had experienced some chest tightening, which he said could be due to the fluid retention as well. While I am not crazy about going on another medication that the baby will “see” crossing the placenta, he told me it’s necessary if symptoms get worse. Right now, everything appears to be fine, but if I start experiencing more difficulty with the symptoms, I will need to take the diuretic.  He also ordered another echocardiogram (the third one in four months) to see if there is any more expanding or thickening of the chamber walls. When we told him the baby is measuring bigger for his age, and we might induce at 38 or 39 weeks, he said that was good because right now we are just “biding time” until I can undergo more testing. I also asked him if the congestive heart failure will go away or if the symptoms will be reduced after pregnancy, to which he said yes. We are definitely starting to feel a sense of urgency to get this little guy out of here! I just want to keep him safe and non-exposed to any more medications and shock treatments…only about two months left to go!

The next day I had to take a 3 hour glucose tolerance test, to which I passed! This means no gestational diabetes! And today (June 13) I had the follow-up echocardiogram, which showed no changes and the doctor described as "stable" when he called me this evening. So the only thing we need to continue to keep an eye on right now is the fluid retention, which can be hard to gauge in the hot summer months ahead! But for now I am thankful for no significant changes!

 

Here Comes the 3rd Trimester!

 Baby and Me :-)

 The baby really popped out this week! I am starting to get more pregnancy questions, and smiling glances from strangers (rather than the awkward stares from people trying to figure out if I'm pregnant or just chubby...I'm glad things have been cleared up!)

The dreaded "cankles" have arrived!

 

Can't wait for the "4th Trimester" :-) Only 10 more weeks to go!!!