Exhale

Following is from my baby blog:

23wks 6days

I went for my ultrasound to diagnose any problems, regarding my abnormal AFP test results. Ready for this one? My results were never abnormal! They were only borderline/slightly elevated. After the wave of relief, I really became pretty angry. Some of you might recall that this is not the first time this OB has regarded test results in the same way. I really think I'm going to switch doctors, and I hope the doctor I want is taking new patients. He's another perinatologist whom I have seen before (with Collin). He's at St. Agnes, where I will be delivering. I feel confident with him, and he's personable. I'm just fed up with my regular OB.

Anyway, they looked at the baby's spine again, and the brain, the cord, the placenta-everything. Everything looks perfect. I then talked at length with the genetic counselor, who said there is no issue. The perinatologist that I love, Dr. Arrabal, said he wouldn't even have tested any further, because the result was so slightly elevated, and because we'd already had a perfect ultrasound. I expressed my concern that the elevated level might be due to my own cancer (because maternal cancer could be a cause of elevated AFP levels in my blood), and the genetic counselor quickly dismissed that fear. She said it simply isn't possible.

So, there you have it-all that worrying and thinking about how my life might change, for nothing at all. I will say again that I wish I had never had the test in the first place, but at least I got to see the baby again. I'm most thankful nothing was wrong. I'll see her again in another four weeks, and then probably weekly after that. She's growing perfectly, and there is not a thing to be worried about right now.

Except telling my doctor that I no longer require her services. Anyone have any advice on that? Lord knows I hate confrontation, and I detest offending anyone, so that's going to be hard for me.

Thank you so much, to everyone who prayed for us. God is good. And a big thank you to Jenn for watching Noah today!

It's A...

So, in case you don't get my baby site updates and you're interested:

I'm just back from my "big" ultrasound. All the parts are present and appear to be just fine, so that's good. Gordon was suprirsed and disappointed to find that it's a GIRL! For some reason, he really had it in his head that he wanted another boy, and that's what she was going to be. He kept complaining to the ultrasound tech and to me, but we reminded him that it's no one's fault but his own. His "boy" boys just didn't swim that well on that particular day, I guess.

I guess that's why we gave away a ton of our baby boy stuff a month before we got pregnant. I have to figure out what I have left and what I need. I'm happy to know what she is...I've been waiting not-so-patiently! Most of all, I'm glad there are no anomalies.

Hope you are all well!

Kissin' Wears Out...

"Kissin' wears out. Cookin' don't." So goes the Pennsylvania Dutch saying. It's true, sadly. Today is the eleventh anniversary of our first kiss (mine and G's, of course). I don't know why I remember stupid stuff like that, but I do. Before he left to go to his meeting tonight, I told him that I wished kissing didn't wear out. He said, "You don't like to kiss me anymore, anyway," and left. Hmph. I'd like to be kissing somebody. It's just a shame, when two people can't figure out how to make that last. I feel like I've done a relatively good job of it, on my part. I mean, I know that things will cool off, and there's a lot more to marriage than how it all began...but if we can't find little bits of that magic from time to time, what are we doing?! It's pretty sad, and I'm not happy about it. But, you can't make someone else feel a certain way about you.

I had another ultrasound today, and the baby wiggled the whole time. I always wonder if their movement and activity habits in utero are any indication of what the future holds. If so, let's just say I've got my work cut out for me. Everything looks good, and although the bloodwork part of my nuchal translucency test was botched due to a computer error, it looks like I'm at a pretty low risk for the major chromosomal defects (like Down's Syndrome & Trisomy 18/13. The baby's limbs are a little longer now, so he/she doesn't look like a gummy bear anymore. I can't wait until the 18-20 week ultrasound, when we can see the anatomy more clearly, and hopefully determine the gender.

I made a chicken pot pie for dinner. I can't wait to eat it. It has taken significantly longer than it was supposed to have taken. That's the case a lot of the time that I cook. On the other hand, I'm not into crunchy veggies in my pot pie, so longer is better.

We went to see Thomas the Tank Engine in Strasburg, Pa this weekend. We had a good time. We stayed at a Travelodge, which I'll be writing a review about on the travel websites. I forked over the extra $40 (and then an extra $10 on top of that) for the king suite and the rollaway bed, so that G and I could have "our" room, and the kids could have thair own room (and therefore we wouldn't have to go to bed at 9:00). Well, that was a nice idea, but didn't happen. The pull-out sofa was supposed to sleep two. Two infants, maybe. Then there was the rollaway, but we had no pillows for it or the pull-out. I called the front desk twice, letting it ring for ages, and no one answered. Finally, I got my shoes back on and trekked down there, only to find the clerk on the phone with his friend. Nice. This was the same clerk who had kicked us out of the pool after we had been swimming for only 2 minutes. I know it was time for them to close and all, but man, have a little mercy. On the other hand, the pool was probably 60 degrees, so it wasn't exactly fun. Anyway, I asked for ANOTHER rollaway (at which point he demanded to know how many people I had in my room), and some pillows. He seemed irritatd, but I was much more irritated, so he obliged. Did I mention that the suite didn't have a door between rooms? So, I sat there in the dark, occasionally threatening the children, until they finally went to sleep. It was more than an hour later. Just when I thought they would never go to sleep, fireworks started across the street. They must have gone on for 45 minutes! And that's when they fell asleep-right in the middle of the show. I have no idea how they slept through that. Note to self-make sure there's a door. And sufficient bedding. SIGH. Anyway, the train rides were cool. The PA Dutch cooking was good. I like to experience that pastoral culture sometimes. It's such a more relaxed, simple way of living. We need to immerse ourselves in that from time to time. It's good for the soul. I would really love to live in an area less congested and less hectic than this. Maybe someday.