3D Ultrasound - Attempt #1

I am so bummed. The 3D Ultrasound we had last week wasn’t very successful. Samuel was fast asleep with his arm covering his precious little face the entire time! However, we did get a good shot of his little giant foot. We try again on April 12. I sure hope he will cooperate b/c if not, we just flushed some hard-earned money down the drain for a picture of his darlin’ foot.

Here it is!

The Ultrasound technician said that he weighs an even four pounds and Brandon pointed out that based on his measurements, the machine changed his due date from May 31 to May 25! I wonder what that is going to mean for scheduling the cesarean? Does that mean that I will be having Samuel a week earlier than expected or does it not change anything at all? I will definitely be asking my doctor at my next appointment.

Yuck and Ouch!

At my doctor’s appointment this week, I got to take the dreaded oral glucose tolerance test. This test is used to screen for gestational diabetes, which is a type of diabetes that can develop in some women late in pregnancy. When I arrived, they handed me this 10 ounce bottle of pure glucose and told me that I had five minutes to drink it. Here is a visual:

Thankfully, it was un-carbonated and chilled so it wasn’t too difficult to get down, but I did gag a little after each swig. Imagining it was an ice-cold beer didn’t help much either…I kid, I kid! I didn’t do that. After an hour had passed, they drew some blood to test how the glucose solution was metabolized by my body. I am not sure when I find out the results, but I guess that no news from them is good news! For those of you wondering, I didn’t have gestational diabetes with Caden, but that doesn’t mean that that will be the case with this pregnancy.

 As I waited for that hour to pass, they went ahead with their normal routine for preggers appointments. I had to pee in a cup, they took my blood pressure, and weighed me in. 153 pounds. Wait a second, 153 pounds? AH! I still have two months to go and I’m already just 10 pounds shy of being the same weight I was when I went into labor with Caden?? Lord help me.

I also got to hear Sam’s heartbeat, during which I was reminded why I love my OB/GYN so much. It never fails. Every single time he finds the heartbeat, he grins from ear to ear.

Then something funny happened. He asked me, “Have we given you your RhoGAM shot yet?” I replied, “My what?” It turns out that their records show that my blood is Rh-negative so I had to get a shot to prevent my immune system from making antibodies against Sam’s blood if he is born Rh-positive. (If he is born Rh-negative like me, then there is no harm or foul whether I got the shot or not.) Let’s say Sam is born with Rh-positive blood. If I had not had this shot and my blood mixed with his during the delivery, my immune system would react by making antibodies to destroy it. Although it wouldn’t hurt either one of us in anyway, it could cause complications if I had another baby in the future who had Rh-positive blood. Why? Because the antibodies that my body made would attack the next baby’s red blood cells. When this happens, babies can end up with anemia, jaundice, or more serious problems. All that being said, I have to laugh because the thought of having another child makes me want to hide.

So, to recap my wonderful doctor’s appointment in just one sentence: I had to drink 10 ounces of nasty and then I was poked with a needle – twice. Now if that isn’t enough to make anyone feel for me, that shot of RhoGAM they gave me had to be given in my derrière! How’s that for a happy ending?

Oh, the joys of pregnancy…

Third Trimester

As of March 1, I officially hit my third trimester! This is typically when pregnancy gets pretty uncomfortable. Your body starts to bloat, the way you walk is no longer graceful, you can’t see your feet any longer, and it’s tough to get a good night’s rest. All that being said, I am doing alright so far. All I know is that I cannot WAIT to burn these maternity jeans. 

We’ve had some precious moments at home since the last time that I blogged. One was a few weeks ago when I attempted to make a new recipe I came across on the LMP blog. Cheesy Enchiladas!  Mmm. (If you know me well, you know the danger in my attempting to cook something without being taught how in person. I chopped an onion for the very first time and I am pretty sure that I probably did it the most complicated way possible.) Before Brandon, Caden and I sat down at the table to find out whether or not we would all be food-poisoned, Brandon summoned Caden into the living room. As I continued to set the table, I noticed Brandon crouching down at eye level with Caden having what seemed like a very serious conversation. I never asked him what it was about but I am pretty sure that it was my sweet husband explaining to our son that mommy has a inferiority complex about cooking and that he should tread lightly when making remarks about how the food tasted so mommy’s feelings don’t get hurt or heaven forbid, gives up on trying to cook new things forever! Fortunately for Brandon and I, the enchiladas were delicious! Even the leftovers were good! Caden, on the other hand, thought it was too spicy. That didn’t bother me to much because I used Rotel in it and for a kid, that’s spicy. 

The other precious moment was between Caden and I a few weekends ago. I was propped up in bed one afternoon reading and Caden decided that he wanted to come lay down in bed with me and ask a million questions. “How come you are you alwaysreading?” “What chapter are you on?” “What is it about?” He also made several observations. “That book has a lot of words.” “That’s a big book.” “One day I can read a big book like that.” Then he changed the subject. He wanted to know how big my belly is going to get and how much longer we will have to wait until Samuel comes out. I was very pleased that at this perfect moment Samuel started kicking. I said to him, “Caden, you want to feel your brother kick?” He was so excited as both of his little hands on my belly and we both waited…and waited…and then finally, BOOP! Caden’s eyes grew very wide as he looked at me and said with such wonder, “Was that him?” He was even more amazed when he saw my belly shift as Samuel rolled from one side of my belly to the other. I later explained to Caden that Samuel’s ears are developed enough that he can hear our voices; Caden immediately got real close to my belly and said in the sweetest voice, “Hi Sam!” Praise you Lord for moments like these. I smile just thinking about it.

Without further ado, here is the latest belly shot from March 1.

So, something struck me as odd lately. I am all of a sudden having a strong urge that I “need” to buy a new purse and some new James Avery jewelry. With much thought on why I feel such a “need” to have these things, I have come to a pretty obvious conclusion. Since I can’t shop for the cute, new spring clothes that are making their debut in stores or a new pair of jeans (American Eagle jeans, oh how I miss thee!), I am shifting to something that isn’t affected by the changes in my body – accessories! The biggest problem with this though, is that any extra money in our account is -responsibly- being saved in preparation for whatever financial issues arise once Samuel arrives. I guess we can thank Dave Ramsey for drilling the difference between “needs” and “wants” so deeply into our skulls. It’s too bad that there aren’t any holidays coming up any time soon where I might receive some of these things... Ha! Ha!

Before I go, there is one last thing that I must share. A dear friend/co-worker of mine is getting a real kick out of the rate at which my belly has been growing. Sometimes when she walks by my desk, she can’t help but giggle at the sight of me. She will then demand to use my phone to take pictures of me –whether I am willing or not.  I love you, Denise.

This one was taken 2/24/10

3/1/10

3/10/10

I am sure there will be many more pictures (taken by the lovely Denise) to come in the very near future. But I must say, I cannot wait until everyones main focus is on little Samuel's cuteness instead of this body that I have grown more self conscious of than I have ever been before...

24 Weeks

As I write this blog, my iPhone's ‘What to Expect’ App says that I have 16 weeks to go and that Samuel is as big as an ear of corn (approx. 8.5 in, 1.5 lbs)!  The strength in which he kicks me sometimes leads me to believe otherwise.  He’s got to be at least 3 lbs with the power behind those kicks.  A few weeks ago I posted a note on my Twitter that said that I thought Samuel might have been “Sweating To The Oldies” because he had been kicking/punching me simultaneously in every which direction that afternoon.  Maybe they were just jumping-jacks.  Who knows? 

There have been a number of things that I have been wanting to blog about this past couple of weeks, but I have been pre-occupied reading Harry Potter.  I can’t seem to put them down!  (It's my first time to read them if that makes me any less of a nerd.)  Anyways, I have forgotten about most of the stuff I wanted to blog about so I think I will just make a list to help jog my memory.  Lists are nice to read on blogs anyhow.

1.       I have come to the conclusion that maternity jeans are not my friend.  The most recent pair I purchased are the only jeans that actually stay on my hips but they are so tight around my waist that my belly hangs over the top of them.  When I wear them I feel like I resemble what a muffin top would look like after coming out of an oven when you’ve poured too much batter into the mold.  I don’t know…  Maybe I just haven’t found the right pair.  Maybe the only good pairs of maternity jeans out there are the ones that I refuse to even try on because they are $80.  The other two pairs that I’ve purchased (which looked alright on in the dressing room) turned out becoming my nemeses because they just won’t stay on my waist!  Granted, they may be more comfortable but there isn’t anything cute about a prego woman who is constantly pulling her pants up with one hand and pushing her cart with the other while walking down the aisles in the grocery store. 

2.       There needs to be a law passed that protects pregnant women from the infamous unwanted belly rubs.  For me, it’s like this:  If I have never given you a hug (and I hug a lot of people) then I would prefer you keep your hands to yourself – or at least respect my personal bubble enough to ask me first.

3.       Brandon had a dream when we first found out that I was pregnant that I gave birth to a bunny. I had a dream just last week that I gave birth to a fawn.  Random?  Yes, absolutely.

4.       About a week ago, I suffered for about 8 days or so with these unbearably itchy red bumps on my belly.  It was the kind of itch you get when scratching only intensifies the itch.  Lotions didn’t even suppress it.  There were two nights where I woke up suddenly fighting the urge to scratch, but gave in to the temptation.  I guess I was scratching frantically enough that it woke up Brandon and he had to force me to stop.  I freaked myself out the next morning after I had googled “itchy pregnant belly” online because apparently, there are all kinds of rashes that you can get during pregnancy that range from being harmless to the baby to being deadly.  I had to wait a few days before my next doctor’s appointment so I called them to inform them of what was going on and they suggested trying Hydrocortisone cream instead of different lotions.  It worked like magic.  Lesson learned: Consult the doctor before you consult the internet and possibly diagnose yourself with some rare, pregnancy-related disease. 

5.       I recently had a very special moment with my sweet mother-in-law during a jewelry party, of all places.  Since Brandon was adopted, she never got to experience what it feels like when a baby kicks your belly so I had been praying that little Samuel would kick while we were together that evening…and he did!  I will never forget the look of wonder and joy on her face when she felt her grandson move for the very first time.  Tears rolled down her face and she said proudly, “That’s my grandson in there!”

6.       Had an appointment last week and thank the Lord, everything is looking good!  I have gained 15 pounds so far and if this pregnancy is anything like my pregnancy with Caden, I have about 35 more pounds to go.  YIKES.  I am already avoiding my reflection in the mirror when I get in and out of the shower because I can’t handle the ugly truth of what pregnancy does to my thutt (Definition: Noun – Part of the human body where your butt meets your thighs.)  That being said, I can’t even imagine what my poor body will look like after gaining 35 more pounds.  *tear*  However, I welcome any change that needs to happen to my body in order to bring Samuel healthily into this world.  He is SO worth every squat that I will have to do in order to look half-way decent in a bikini again.  

7.       Brandon and I really need to go and register at Babies R Us.  I get asked if we have registered at least once a week. 

8.       I think I may be the only person in the world that gets cramps in her feet during pregnancy instead of in her legs.  Every website I have searched says nothing about foot cramps during pregnancy, only leg cramps.  They are the weirdest cramps too… All of a sudden, my toes will slowly start contorting into these un-natural positions and the only way I can remedy it is to force my toes back in to place.  But the second I let go, they go right back to where they were before I forced them back to normal.  It’s bizarre.  I love my husband because he has discovered that soaking my deformed looking foot in hot water helps gets my foot back to normal much quicker than my remedy was.

9.       I love what pregnancy has done for my hair.

10.   Caden strolled into the house the other day and just about made my month by what I overheard him say.  It was sweet and funny at the same time.  The dialogue went something like this:  (Garage door closes.)  Caden says, “Where’s mommy?”  Brandon replies, “I don’t know son, go sit down and get ready to do your homework.”  (Chairs shuffle around.)  Caden says something else that I couldn’t hear and Brandon responds something back that I didn’t hear either.  Caden shouts, “Where’s that pretty girl with a big stomach?!”  That is probably the only time that I will have had a huge smile on my face after my child refers to my stomach as “big.” 

And now, here is the most recent belly pic:

Brandon took it just a few days ago!  My little Samuel is growing so fast!

And here is a picture of the New Balance tennis shoes that I simply could not resist buying last weekend at Second Childhood.  They were only $8, how could I NOT  buy them?

Aren’t they ADORABLE?!!!  They have already disappeared once and right about when I noticed they weren’t where I had set them down, Brandon walks in the room with them with a huge smile on his face said, “I can’t wait to see these on Samuel!”  Neither can I babe, neither can I.

How to pray for Haiti

A lot of times when I want to pray for someone or something, I can’t find the words. I found this on my church’s website and thought that someone out there might find it just as useful as I did.

• Pray for those who have been affected by the quake – people who are trapped in rubble or homeless, those who are hungry or injured or traumatized.

• Pray for all those who are involved in the relief effort, that the Lord would give them strength to deal with the awful conditions they are facing.

• Pray for those who are trying to organize people and resources to assist with the relief efforts.

• Pray that God would stir up his people to respond with the love of Christ to help people in desperate need.

My sweet son, who is 5, remembers Haiti in his prayers almost every night. He either asks for God to give the people of Haiti new hearts since theirs have been broken, for God to watch over them since they are sleeping in the streets, for God to give them new wives since a lot of people lost theirs, for God to give them food since all of it was smashed, and for strength.

Hearing his heart for people who are hurting so badly right now, makes me wish that the Haitians knew that even in Katy, TX a child is lifting them up in prayer. Maybe, if even for just one moment, it might let someone feel the arms of God wrapped around them.

And don’t you know that God loves the prayers of children as much as He loves adult prayers even when we can’t find the “right” words…

Haiti.

I am still trying to wrap my mind around the ever-worsening horror in Haiti. My heart is sick over the unimaginable tragedies there.

I came across a blog written by a missionary couple that has been serving in Haiti for a few years. The link below is the husband’s firsthand account of what he experienced during the earthquake. If this doesn’t break your heart enough to either make a donation toward aid for Haiti or get on your knees and pray, I don’t know what will:

http://rollingsinhaiti.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/earthquake-day-in-port-au-prince/

I cannot even begin to imagine what this man must be dealing with emotionally. Not only does Haiti need our prayers, but so does everyone involved in search and rescue.

I was discussing donations with a friend of mine and she mentioned that some of her Haitian friends living in South Florida have said that they worry that some of the smaller charities out there collecting money won’t even make it to the needed areas. Let’s pray that the following charities are good stewards over the money they receive. I have read that Compassion is already in active operation toward aid for Haiti and so is World Vision. You can also get on the official Red Cross website and give online. Go to Redcross.org and look for "donate" and choose "International Response Fund." You'll see Haiti specified there. If any of you are like me and financially strapped right now, and looking for a way to make a vital contribution that won't put you further in the hole, perhaps this ready option might work:

 Text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts. It will be charged on your cell phone bill. How easy is that?!

When I think about the thousands of people that are still alive but trapped, or the parents who are desperately searching for their missing children, or the scared - now homeless - children searching for their parents, my heart breaks into a million pieces. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to go outside and 60% of Houston be completely flattened. How overwhelmed and helpless everyone must feel!

I am going to pray my heart out for these people and everything in me hopes that you will too. I wish there was more that we could do, but I know that God esteems our intercessory prayers and that prayer is SO much more powerful than we understand it to be.

UPDATE: I just read on cnn.com that the Red Cross has already raised $3 million in just over 24 hours through their text messaging campaign. Every little bit HELPS!

It's a BOY!

And we have already decided on a name for the little guy! 

Samuel Allen Wilkerson

“Sam” has been Brandon’s (maternal) grandfather’s nickname since he was a child and “Allen” was a dear friend of ours who passed away a few years ago from cancer.  Both gentleman are/were such positive, Godly influences in Brandon’s life and we are very proud to name our son in their honor.

I must admit that when we found out that we were having a little boy, I was a little sad at first.  I think mainly because I knew how badly Brandon wanted a girl.  He prayed for it every night.  But you know what? A week ago I heard a guest pastor deliver a sermon at our church and he said this, “Our greatest disappointments are God’s divine appointments.”  Those exact words are what rang through my head and even prompted me to pray and ask God’s forgiveness for my initial reaction to finding out the gender of our child.  How could I even be the slightest bit sad or disappointed when I know in my heart that all gifts that come from my Father in heaven are perfect? (James 1:17)  God’s plans are greater than anything I could ever imagine, and I trust that He gifted Brandon and I with exactly what He planned for us to have together before either of us were even born and I wouldn’t trade that for anything!  Besides, when I was pregnant with Caden I was hoping for a girl as well and I am so happy that I got him instead.  He is a blessing to us (almost) everyday. :)

Brandon was so excited to see his baby moving around during the sonogram and wouldn’t you know it, we even got a little wave from him!  It was amazing.  His little hand was opened all the way like he was ready to give us a high five, and then he made a fist and opened it right back up before our very eyes!  The technician said, “Awww he just waved hello to you!  How special…” Special, indeed!  I was amazed at how much he has grown since the first ultrasound we had back when I was only 10 weeks along in the pregnancy.  Now he is so much more defined!  We could make out his spine, and of course his arms, legs and face.  It was even more amazing to see his little heart beating.  We could see the different chambers and everything!  Other than that, he looked pretty squished in there.  And oh my goodness his feet looked huge!  I have a feeling he is going to be very long…just like his daddy.  

The pictures she got weren’t very good…it was so much clearer seeing it live. But here is the best one:

We are planning on saving up some cash so that we can do the 3D ultrasound in a few months to get better quality pictures of Samuel.  They recommend that you do it around 28-34 weeks gestation for the best results, so that puts us anywhere between 3/8 – 4/19!  I can’t WAIT!!!  It’s $195 and the package includes “8-9 frame worthy pictures and a 10 minute video of the baby in utero.”  Insurance doesn’t cover it, but I don’t think it will be too hard to save up for that!!!

I am a little overdue on my picture for this month, so here it is finally:

So a couple of days ago Brandon was finally able to feel Samuel kicking!  I wish it wasn’t pitch black in our room when it happened so I could have seen his face, but I could hear the gigantic smile in his voice as he said with great excitement, “Was that him!?”

We can’t wait to hold him in our arms!