September 19th

I know many of you are probably wondering why I came blogging about a date so long past. Well it is because the date September 19th will forever be a memorable date in our family. That is because on September 19, 2006 is when we first discovered that we were going to be parents. That day forever changed our lives for the better. Well.... again September 19th is a very important date because exactly 5 years later on September 19, 2011 we discovered.....

Yes folks, that's right. We are going to be parents again. Notice how bright that first line is and how faint the second line is. I was completely confused. So much so that I went out and bought three more tests. They all ended up with that VERY bright first line and faint second. Positive that we were going to be parents again!!!

We were VERY excited for this news as it has been a very long time coming. David and I always knew we wanted to have another child (our intention was always to have 2), but we just weren't sure due to Morgan's arthrogryposis and the fact that not a single doctor could tell us for sure what the cause was. As many of you know we have spoken with countless doctors, including the leading geneticist in Seattle, and everyone has been stumped. Many people, including the doctor in Seattle, have told us they feel it is genetic but could not identify the gene. We put Morgan through all kinds of tests to no avail. So a little over a year ago David and I met with my new OB (yes, I switched doctors immediately after Morgan was born). Our new OB is AMAZING and she took a good 30 minutes to sit down with us and discuss our options and concerns about having another child. She arranged for us to meet with a genetic counselor which we did about a year ago. Again, this doctor didn't have any new ideas. We were still told we were looking at a 0-25% chance of recurrence. There was one possible test they could run looking for a condition (that according to the doctor we saw in Seattle Morgan does not have), however, the test was not covered by insurance and there was only going to be a chance that they would find something. Even if Morgan did have this genetic condition there would be a very good chance that the test would be negative. We decided that it wasn't worth doing the test...and we kind of put things on hold for a while. We became busy with work and life in general with basketball season and the holidays. We would discuss the idea every once in a while, but we still hadn't reached a decision. That was until.....

Sometime in the spring when I was having lunch with Morgan and she stopped eating, put her food down, and said "Mommy, when am I going to have a brother or a sister?" Around this time one of my girlfriends was expecting and we were planning a baby shower for her so there was a lot of talk about how her son was going to become a big brother. Also, many of her friends at school were having babies or already had siblings. Well, that is all it took. David and I decided that night that it might be time to take a giant leap of faith, pray a lot, and to go for it. Within the month we began trying to make Morgan's dream of becoming a big sister come true.

So after a few months of trying September rolled around and I started to feel a little different. After waiting an extra week to test we decided we couldn't wait any longer. After getting several positive tests I immediately called my doctor as it was in our plans to start monitoring things from the get go. She had me go in the next day for a blood draw to check my hormone levels. That day they were over 2,200. Then I went back two days later for another draw and they had more than doubled to over 5,400. Things were looking good. At that point we scheduled our first ultrasound.

In the meantime we told Morgan our exciting news and she shouted with joy. She is so excited and is already being an amazing big sister. Every morning when I go in to get her up she tells me "Mommy, come closer, I can't reach the baby." She reaches out her little hand and places it on my belly and says "Hello, baby." She loves to spend time every day rubbing my belly and saying hi to her brother or sister.

On September 26th, at 5 weeks 2 days we went in to get our first glance at our little peanut. That day we were able to clearly see the yolk sac and even saw the heart beat. It was AMAZING! The doctor set our due date for May 26, 2011. That is just two days before Morgan's due date which was May 28th.

After that we set up appointments with the doctor to continue monitoring things, mostly just looking to make sure the baby is moving. We went in at 9 weeks 2 days.
At that time (it is hard to see in this pic) we were able to clearly see little arm and leg numbs. All four numbs appeared to be moving and the baby gave a couple of really good hops. All was looking well and we breathed a small sigh of relief (after of course balling our eyes out).

I realize now that you can barely see the sign that says 10 weeks, but here is a pic of me at 10 weeks. It is amazing how fast the baby bump comes on with baby #2. I guess when you never lose all the baby weight from #1 it makes it easier to pop.

On November 7th at 11 weeks 2 days we went back again for another ultrasound. It was amazing after just two weeks to see how much the baby had grown and changed. When the ultrasound began we right away saw good signs. The baby lifted its arms, we saw fingers stretched out wide, and the baby gave another couple of good jumps. We also noticed that the baby's legs were bent, something we never saw from Morgan. As we watched the baby though we began to hold our breath because while the legs were bent they weren't moving much. The doctor commented how the baby could be in sleep mode and we continued to watch nervously. Within a couple of minutes, a few prayers to God, and a couple of deep breaths the baby all of a sudden gave a huge jump and kicked it's legs straight. David and I instantly burst into tears of joy! We breathed another big sigh of relief for now.

11 wks 2 days. You can see the legs bent.

After this ultrasound we decided it was about time to start sharing the news with friends and co-workers. Especially, since as you will see below my bump was becoming harder to hide. Since Morgan was scheduled to be Star of the Day at preschool on Wednesday we decided to let her spread the news. Morgan wore a t-shirt to school that day that says "Big Sister in charge" I wish I had taken a picture of her in it, but I totally forgot. She was so excited to tell all her teachers and friends.

Here is a picture of me at 12 weeks.

Today at 12 weeks 2 days we went in for another ultrasound. This time we were having it done at St. Joe.s as they were doing a more detailed NT ultrasound. I barely slept last night feeling so anxious about what we would see today and praying that this baby would be moving up a storm. When we met with the ultrasound technician and discussed the ultrasound, what they would be looking for, etc... we also told her about Morgan's arthrogryposis and that we were hoping to see lots of movement. She said that she had seen arthrogryposis before, but never this early. It put as at ease to know that she, as well as David and I, knew what to be looking for. She also said that while she hoped we would see lots of movement she did need to baby to hold very still for a bit so she could get some good shots of the neck. Well, the baby did both. At first the baby was pretty still, moved his/her arms a few times, waved hi, and then seemed to fall asleep. Again, the legs were bent which the tech said is very common for 12 weeks, in fact she said you won't see many 12 week babies stretch out their legs all the way. Well, she was very patient with our little one and knew how desperately we wanted to see movement so she spent lots of time looking at more than just the neck. We were able to see the little one stretch it's legs completely (both) and then bend them back up!!!!!!! We also saw the little arms reaching way up high above it's head. And lots of big jumps and rolls with the back extending. Another huge sigh of relief and of course many more tears of joy were shed today!!!!!! We are just so excited!!!!!!!!

I have no idea why this one is sideways. It wasn't taken sideways and was not that way on my computer. Sorry.

It is amazing the profile you can already see at just 12 wk 2 d. Of course I do have to say though that they may be off on my due date. The baby has measured 5 days bigger each week so at 11 wk 2d the baby was measuring at 12 weeks and today at 12 wk 2d the baby measured at 13 wk 1d.

Giving a high 5 to big sister Morgan!

Another wave hello, this time with fingers closed.

We are just so excited to finally share our news! We could not be more excited to be welcoming a new little one into our family. Morgan is going to be the most AMAZING big sister EVER!!!! She is already practicing with her baby dolls how to rock her baby to sleep, feed, and burp the baby. The only thing she says she won't help with are the poopy diapers.

Next week we go in again on Monday for another ultrasound. In the meantime please help us with some prayers that this baby continues to move and be healthy!