14 Week Ultrasound

Since the move this Saturday, I have been experiencing some cramping. I thought that maybe I just overdid it and needed to take it easy so I did. But the cramping just got worse and more frequent so today I called the doctor and he said that he wanted me to come in right away. So I went to the OB today at 2:30 and they did an US and checked everything out and he said that everything looks great. He did note that the baby had grown a lot and moves more than the average baby so it is his opinion that since baby B died Baby A is just growing really fast and moving a lot and my uterus is having a hard time keeping up with the growth so it is cramping.

It was a scare today, but the Lord helped me to feel calm and peaceful. Praise to the Lord for our baby being healthy and strong. Also, as a bonus we learned what we are having today and it was sooo fun! The verdict is in and we are on the blue team . . . . It’s a boy! Here are the newest pix!

Thank you Lord for the little rainbows in the midst of storms!

Good-bye to Trimester 1

A friend of ours is taking pix for us at the end of each trimester as a gift to us. They turned out really cute so I thought I would share them with you. At the end of the PG we are thinking about framing one from each trimester and putting them in the baby's room. Kristina did a great job and we are thankful that she is sharing her gift with us. I can not believe that we are entering the second trimester already. The time is flying by and we are enjoying every minute of it! Praise be to God for our little miracle!

Just Kidding! . . . We Really Are Moving

Here is the newest pix of me at 11 weeks 5 days with the beginings of my "baby bump". I can not believe that my first trimester is already over, where has the time gone???
Update on the move, it is back on. We are in fact moving into the house on Swan St. the weekend of Jan 25-27; the Lord works in mysterious ways. Please pray that the move goes smoothly and that there is as little stress as possible. Praise also for all the amazing people including my parents that have offered to help us move.

11 Week Ultrasound

Well the first appt was a success! We loved meeting Dr. Poliakin and are looking forward to him taking care of us and our little one for the next 7 months. We got to heat the baby's heartbeat which we have not been able to do before. We were shocked at how fast it was, approx 180 beats per minute! WOW! We also learned that Dr. Poliakin's office only uses 3D/4D ultrasounds which we saw first hand today. They are amazing. We have included some pictures for you to check out. We also got a bag full of free goodies which was a fun treat. Dr. P says that every thing is looking great and we are off to a great start! We can not believe how fast the first trimester is going and how fast our little one is growing; just about 2 inches from head to buns :)
Our next appt is Feb 7th so please check back in for more updates. Prayers of praise for a great appt today please :)

Getting Ready for my First OB Appt.

Tomorrow is what I consider a big day! It is when I am officially released from the RE and begin to see my high risk OB. I am so excited for tomorrow but also nervous. I think it makes this PG feel real. I have been writing my list of questions to ask so that I remember them when I get there. Bryan was able to take off work so that he can come to the appt too which is a HUGE relief. I am nervous though and ask for prayers because I have been experiencing some sharp/burning pelvic pains; but for now we think it is just the uterus growing and making room for our little bean sprout :) I will post more tomorrow after our appt.

Please pray that all goes well tomorrow and prayers of thanks for the support that I have been getting from my principal at school. She is really patient and understanding and it really makes a huge difference to know that I have a boss that cares and looks out for me.

PS. Update on moving to a house: we are not going to be moving at the end of the month after all. I guess it was just not in the Lord's timing for us right now and we are ok with that. For now, we just plan on staying at our appt for the next year and saving lots of money :)

10 Week Ultrasound

First of all, I just have to say that being a "high risk pregnancy" is not that fun but it does have one advantage and that is that I have been able to watch my little miracle grow from 6 cells to a 10 week old baby. What an amazing journey our little one has been through already. Each week brings new things to our little bean and to Bryan and I. I feel blessed to have been able to witness this, as many couples do not get that chance. Thank you Lord for the roses among the thorn bushes!

Today was my last appointment with my RE (reproductive endocrinologist, aka: infertility doctor). I am so happy to be graduating from there! It was a great time of celebration and congrats as we left the office today. As I walked out for the last time I felt truly special and blessed. It hit me that we are walking out pregnant but there are many women that walk away never achieving this. My heart ached for them and I stopped and said a prayer for those women. Unless you have been through infertility, it is my opinion, that one can never understand the devastation that a person feels when in the midst of that journey. So I praise the Lord for allowing us to be one of the couples that walked away pregnant and I pray for those that are still in the struggle.

Today the US showed our little one moving and dancing and waving "hi" to us. The baby was swimming all over the place and it made me laugh which would cause it to move even more. It was by far the coolest thing that I have ever seen. Our baby is a great little swimmer and the RE just let me watch it for about 3 minutes. It is weird to know that my baby now has sleep patterns; times it is awake and swimming and times it is sleeping. It now has ears (can not hear yet), eyes, little hairs on it's body, arms, fingers, legs and toes. The webbing between all the hands and toes are gone and it is kicking and moving it's arms all over the place. I can not believe how much I am in love with our little one already. 10 weeks old and it already has my whole heart! This was definitely worth the wait!!!! THANK YOU LORD!!!

PS. Starting the last week of Jan. Bryan and I will be moving to a house in Ventura. Please pray that the house gets finished in the next 2-2 1/2 weeks and that everything including the move goes smoothly.

9 week Ultrasound!!!

Baby A is doing amazing. It is growing more and more each day and as you can see on the US it has feet and hands and little eyes now. Bryan and I just look on each week at amazement as our little one continues to grow and change sooo much with each passing week. It has been a great bonding time for us and each week we just fall more and more in love with our little baby!

Physically, the morning (aka: all day) sickness has really been taking its toll on me but I am blessed because it is Christmas break so at least I do not have to be teaching. I am also unbelievably tired, it is really hard making another person. LOL. I also have a little pooch starting but amazingly I have lost 5 lbs in the past 9 weeks. The doctors say that I can finally stop the 2 shots in the butt (progesterone and estrogen) on Jan 1st: Happy New Year to me!!!! But we will continue with all the oral meds and the 2 shots of Heparin each day.

I will go back to the RE on Jan. 2nd for our last US with them. Then I will start seeing my OB on Jan 7th. I am not sure if the OB will keep me on the same restrictions or what his means of treatment will be but he specializes in "high risk" pregnancies and is well known for his great bedside manner and amazing abilities as a doctor. He comes strongly recommended by our fertility doctor and friends that we know. He writes monthly for a pregnancy magazine and is a teacher at USC school of medicine. He also is in charge of the maternity wing at Los Robles Hospital where I will be delivering. We look forward to being released from the fertility doctor; this is a huge step for us (one we thought we might never get to take) and are excited about meeting our new OB.

Prayers for continued strength and growth for our little miracle. Prayers of praise for the infertility doctor and the ways that he helped us through this. Finally we say prayers of praise and thanksgiving for you all and the support that you have provided the past year and half: with cards, money, prayers, meals, and the list goes on! THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!!!

First PG Picture

Here I am at 8.5 weeks PG! This is my first maternity dress!

Week 7 Ultrasound

This week's ultrasound was VERY exciting!!! We actually got to see the heartbeat and it was the coolest thing that I have ever seen. Bryan was also mesmerized watching the little heart beat on the screen. The baby is still small in the picture, it is the white object to the left. The white line to the right is the umbilical cord. We are continuing the injections and oral meds daily and we will continue to get ultrasounds each week. Praise to the Lord for the awesome miracle whose heart we watched beat today! Prayers that the Lord helps our baby stay healthy and strong.

Here is a picture of our little bean at 6 weeks and 1 day. I know he is little and hard to see but just look between the plus signs at the little circle and there he is! Welcome home little guy, welcome home!

Upcoming: We will go back to the doctor next Thursday at 1:30 for another ultrasound and possibly some blood work to continue to monitor our little guy!

Prayer Requests
My doctor has requested that I go see an alternative medicine doctor who specializes in infertility and pregnancy in hopes of preventing another MC. For now, I would like to ask that we all come together and pray for strength, health, and growth for the baby. I would like us to pray that next time we go, the doctor is blown away at the growth and progress of our little guy and that we can use that to witness to him. I do believe that the Lord put doctors on earth to help us, but for now I would like to lean on the Lord's strength and rest in His peace knowing full well that He is mighty enough to do anything.
Also, prayers of praise for the miracle growing within me. I truly feel blessed!

Why Even Doubt???

Today was the scariest day ever!!! I feel like I have been on a roller coaster that came off the track. I went for an US this morning and the doctor said that he couldn't see anything. He then went on to say that the pregnancy was either ectopic, that we were miscarrying or that maybe it was just too early. So I broke down and cried at the thought of loosing another baby. So they took some more blood and sent me on my way.

After waiting for about 2-3 hours for the nurse to call back, she finally called back and said that I am 5weeks and 3 days exactly and that my HCG is now 2,327 which is perfect. She said babys are never seen before 5.5-6.5 weeks, so not to worry.

Why did I even spend one second doubting God? Why do I let Satan get in my head? The Lord is faithful and is taking care of my little one helping him to grow big and strong!!! Thank you Lord for your faithfulness, may I rest in your strength and peace!

Just to Make Sure

I saw this and thought it was funny becuase I feel like taking another test all the time "just to make sure" that I am still PG. I feel so blessed to have this little baby and such great friends and family to support us during this time. Praise be to God!!!!

He Provides Again!

Well the numbers are in again and the good news is they doubled. My current number is 169! I will go in on the 30th at 8:15 for my first ultrasound! I am so thankful for this blessing that the Lord has given us. It is my prayer that the Lord will keep our baby healthy and growing strong so that we can raise this child to follow the Lord and grow up loving Him. This child is great reminder that the Lord never promises us that life wil be easy, but He does remind us that He will be with us ALWAYS!!! The Lord is faithful and this child is a reminder of that! Thank you for your prayers and please keep them coming!

Keep Those Prayers Coming!

PRAYERS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!! My second HCG numbers just came back in and they are not as high as we would like. My initial number was 53 so today's count should have been 106 but instead it was 87. It is good that the number went up, but it is not good that it did not double. In the past my numbers have fallen by the second blood test, so I am thankful that the numbers went up but I am worried that they did not double.

I am going to go back in on Friday morning to get the numbers checked again so please pray that this baby sticks. I sometimes wonder if the Lord is testing my faithfulness and ability to be still and know that He is in control. (Pslam 46:10 Be still and know that I am God) Prayers that my baby will stick please!

The Initial Numbers

Today I am 11 days post transfer and my HCG is 53. RE says this is a good number because it is still so early.

They are starting me on a new medication called Heprin. I will inject 25 units in my stomach twice a day until further notice. Heparin helps to keep blood flowing smoothly by making a certain natural substance in your body (anti-clotting protein) work better. This should help the blood flow between the babies and myself better allowing them to grow nice and healthy.

I will go back on Wednesday to make sure that these numbers are doubling so please keep that in your prayers.

An Early Thanksgiving Present

Picture this. . . being woken up at 5:30am by a crazy woman shaking you and saying: "hurry! hurry! open your eyes!!!" and then proceeding to open them for you. Well this was Bryan's reality this morning as I, the crazy lady, woke him up to see that we have in fact been blessed by the Lord again becuase there were 2 lines on my home pregnancy test. That's right, we are proud to announce that we are PG!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going in tomorrow morning for blood work and then we will go in again on Wednesday morning to make sure the numbers are doubling and healthy. Thank you for your prayers, meals, and support over the past few weeks! Please continue to pray that this baby or babies (LOL) make themselves nice and cozy in there and do not go anywhere for at least 8-9 months! :)
PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!