30 Weeks

It has been 6 weeks since my last post. Sorry! Life has gotten so busy! Just when I think I can sit down to post, something comes up!

How Far Along: 30 Weeks

Size of Baby: Baby Wolfe is about 15.7 inches long and weighs about 3 pounds now!

30 Weeks: He is the size of a head of cabbage! A pint of amniotic fluid sorrounds baby now. His eyesight is continuing to develop, though its not very keen, even after he is born he will keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them he will respond to changes in light but will have a 20/400 vision-meaning he only will be able to make out objects a few inches from his face.

Sleep: Getting much harder! I wake up a lot during the night with horrible hip pain and can't seem to find a very comfortable position. I also wake up about 4 times each night to pee! Can't win...guess I am getting "trained" for when he comes.

Best Moment of the Week: We started painting the baby's room and have received some presents in the mail! We also got a call that the dresser and night stand are in, still waiting on the crib.

Movement: LOTS of movement! So many of my friends and family have gotten to feel him move and I love that I can share it with them! You don't even have to touch my belly you can see him move under my shirt. Sometime I just sit and stare at my belly and watch him move!

Symptoms: I am starting to get pretty uncomfortable. A lot of symptoms from first trimester are creeping back. I feel like I have no energy and tire very easy, I have started developing back pain, nausea and vomiting immediately after I eat a meal, heart burn is in full force and I find myself taking in deep breaths all the time trying to catch my breath. I hate to complain, if I have to go through this for the next 10 weeks then bring it on. I can do it, its just getting harder!

Food Cravings: Nothing in particular. I do get "obsessed" with certain foods for awhile. For example I LOVED rice krispies with a banana then it was peanut butter toast all the time, now its an apple with animal crackers.

Gender: Boy! ( However, I did have a dream it was a girl and we had to bring her home to all boy clothes and a boy room!)

What I Miss: My regular clothes, its getting harder to find something to wear that looks decent, maternity clothes are not my favorite. I am also missing Body Pump at the YMCA. This time of year many people are starting to go back to the gym as the weather gets colder. Can't wait to start working out again.

What I am Looking forward to: Getting the baby's room put together and my baby showers!

Weekly Wisdom: Eat multiple small meals and not three big ones, otherwise you will lose half the meal shortly after you eat it!

Milestone: Making it to 30 weeks!

I will try to update as often as I can, I hope not go 6 weeks without updating again. Sorry!

Love, Kristen

24 weeks

How Far Along: 24 Weeks

Size of Baby: Just over a pound!! According to the Baby Center website he gained 4 ounces in the last week!!

24 Weeks: Baby Wolfe is growing steadily. He's almost a foot long, he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally, and he'll soon start to plump. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but will start to change soon. (Information taken from Baby Center's website)

Belly Pic:

Sleep: Getting good sleep, besides the fact I get up every 2-3 hours to pee! Also, since I am terrified of sleeping on my back, my hips get sore which wakes me up. Position change helps this.

Best Moment of the Week: Looking at cribs online with Eli

Movement: LOTS of movement! I LOVE feeling him move, it never gets old. I am the only one who can feel him, can't feel him from the outside yet. I know this is due to my anterior placenta, but can't wait until Eli gets a chance to feel it too!

Symptoms: Round ligament pain!! Hurts pretty bad. It feels like a charlie horse that gets stuck and you can't stretch it free. I can't walk when it happens, but when it happens its only for a short time. Sitting and resting helps alleviate the pain. Heart burn!! It's immediate when I lay down at night. It comes on no matter what I have eaten that day. TUMS smoothies have been my friend lately and work well. My Doctor also suggested Zantac which I have yet to try.

Food Cravings: Yoplait Blueberry Yogurt Parfait with Granola and bananas!

Gender: Sweet baby boy

What I Miss: My regular clothes. I feel so limited to the same outfits since I am not buying a whole wardrobe of maternity clothes. I feel like I wear the same thing all the time!

What I am Looking Forward to: Registering! Hopefully in the next couple of weeks we will do this! However, I did go to Babies R' Us to look at cribs and felt VERY overwhelmed when I saw everything we need!!

Weekly Wisdom: Don't feel guilty if you have a little Diet Coke here and there ;-)

Milestone: 24 weeks, which is viability!

Love, Kristen

21 weeks and Gender Reveal

I can't believe its been almost 4 weeks since my last post!! Wow! Time is flying by! Things have been going well. We had our 20-21 week ultrasound on August 1st. Baby is growing perfectly and everything looked very well. They did have a hard time visualizing the heart, but after a couple of position changes, coughing and deep breaths they were able to see all they needed to see.

How Far Along: 21 (1/2) weeks

Size of Baby: He/She is the size of a banana (10.5 inches, 12.7 oz)

Picture of Baby: I promise to upload one soon!

21 Weeks: Baby Wolfe is now about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long. He/She is practicing martial arts as initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. A pattern to his/her activity may be discovered. Baby Wolfe's eyebrows and lids are present now.

Maternity Clothes: Wearing mostly maternity clothes only, at least comfortably! I can still wear my pre-pregnancy jeans with a Bella Band, but they are getting pretty uncomfortable compared to my maternity jeans.

Belly Picture: My mom has been taking them.....I will have to get them off her camera!

Best Moment of the Week: Finding out the sex of the baby and seeing that he/she is healthy!

Symptoms: I have been feeling pretty good! However, I do get heart burn at night before bed. Tums has helped well with this. Hopefully that means this little one is busy growing lots of hair! My emotions have been crazy, I can cry at the drop of a hat....my poor husband :-)

Food Cravings: I haven't really been craving anything in particular, I am just ALWAYS hungry!

Gender: ITS A SWEET BABY BOY!!! Eli and I are thrilled and more then excited!!! We can't wait to meet him.

What I Miss: Still miss riding the Harley!

Weekly Wisdom: You don't have to cry about EVERYTHING :-)

What I am looking forward to: Registering and starting the nursery! (Did I really just say that!?!?!?!)

Milestones: Making it to 21 weeks is a milestone in itself!

I am so very thankful to have a healthy, sweet baby boy growing inside of me. I never thought this day would ever come. Thank you lord. Please continue to watch over us and bless us with your everyday miracles!

Love, Kristen & Eli

17 Weeks

How Far Along: 17(1/2) weeks

Size of Baby: He/She is the size of an onion (About 5 inches from head to bottom, not including legs!)

Picture of Baby: I promise to upload one soon!

17 Weeks: Baby Wolfe's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord - his/her lifeline to the placenta- is growing stronger and thicker. He/She can move his/her joints, and his/her sweat glands are starting to develop. Baby Wolfe has mastered some simple reflexes such as swallowing, sucking and blinking. He/She may also be getting hiccups!

Maternity Clothes: Wearing some! My pre-pregnancy pants don't fit anymore. Went maternity shopping with my Mom yesterday at my new favorite maternity store 'A Pea in the Pod'. Got some super cute jeans and white pants/capris. Still wearing all pre-pregnancy shirts/tops.

Belly Picture: Need to take one. Took one at 12 weeks, but not since then because of the scare we had.

Best Moment of the Week: Shopping with Mom for Maternity clothes. Maybe, just maybe I can start to get excited about this pregnancy!

Symptoms: I feel pretty good! However, I do get bad headaches about mid afternoon, but usually resolve with Tylenol. I have also been having horrible vivid dreams about losing the baby. Those can stop anytime now please!

Food Cravings: I LOVE Ice Cream!!

Gender: Still really thinking its a Boy...we should have our ultrasound in about 2 1/2 weeks. Can't wait to find out for sure!!

What I Miss: Still miss riding the Harley. Eli went on a trip to South Dakota this weekend on the bike and it has been hard to be at home. Really missing riding A LOT. However, I know this baby is SO worth it!

What I am looking forward to: Finding out the baby's gender!

Weekly Wisdom: I can cry at the drop of a hat! Remember how sensitive pregnancy can make you!

Milestones: Making it to 17 weeks and having no signs of a returning hemorrhage!

I have an appointment Monday. Hopefully, I will be able to schedule my 20 week ultrasound then. Please keep praying for us. Things are looking good!

Love, Kristen

Miracles

( I wrote this Monday, blogger wouldn't let me post until today! )

This is a LONG overdue post. So much has happened since the last post! Many of you who know me in person know the good news already :-)

A week ago today I had a follow-up ultrasound to look at the size of the hemorrhage. I was expecting it to be the same size, praying it wasn't any bigger. I was SO nervous, but thankfully Eli was there with me and he is always best at calming my nerves. The ultrasound tech looked at the report from the previous ultrasound, noting where the hemorrhage was seen before. Then started the ultrasound. The first words she said were "I don't see anything". WHAT!!! I was completely SHOCKED!!! What do you mean you don't see anything?? There was a huge hemorrhage there 2 weeks ago. She looked and looked, even got another ultrasound tech to look and did a vaginal ultrasound. Nothing. No bleeding. No hemorrhage. Just one perfect looking baby and one completely attached placenta! I couldn't have been happier, I just kept thanking God. Once again He performed a miracle!

Since then, I have had another OB appointment. Dr. B looked over the report from the ultrasound and reviewed the pictures. The hemorrhage is gone, for now. It may come back if that part of the placenta is some how irritated. However, as weeks go on the chance of it returning is less and less. I keep thanking God over and over and have more faith in Him then I EVER have. I have now started to enjoy being pregnant once again. I have been a little less nervous. Although, I know those nerves won't completely go away, even when baby is here happy and healthy!

Thank you all for your continued prayers! Keep praying! I will be 16 weeks on Wednesday, time seems to be flying by now. We can't wait for the next big milestone, find out baby's gender!!

Love, Kristen

Everything Happens for a Reason

No new updates on the hemorrhage....we have an ultrasound Monday for another follow-up so I will have one then. I don't expect it to have disappeared, which would be a miracle, but I do hope it hasn't grown. I am having the ultrasound done basically for my knowledge. As the doctors said, we won't change the plan if it has grown or gotten smaller. I have talked to MANY OB doctors at work and all have many different opinions on subchorionic hemorrhages. However, overall I have gotten good feedback on my situation, making things a little easier.

To ease my mind I rented a fetal heart rate Doppler. It is an amazing feeling listening to our peanut's heart beat and being able to hear him/her moving around! He/she is really easy to find, always in the same spot and always has a heart rate of 155-160. It has made me relax a little!

I feel like I should share what I have come to discover over the last 2 weeks.....it is my place with God. Growing up I was raised Catholic went to church with my mom every week, attended catechism and had a good relationship with God. I carried my beliefs as I got older, married in a catholic church and instilled my beliefs in my relationship with my husband. Then, infertility put a huge burden in my relationship with God and my beliefs. I didn't shut Him completely out of my life, but my relationship wasn't as strong with Him. Those 3 years I was mad at Him. I couldn't come to understand why He wouldn't bless us with a baby, why He was doing what He was doing. Each negative test I saw and each month that went on without being pregnant my faith got less and less. When I finally became pregnant I started letting Him back into my life, but was cautious. Still so numb and angry for what I had to go through, still not understanding why we had to work so hard for what others could have so easily. Since the news of my hemorrhage increasing and the chance of losing our miracle, God came back into my life full force. I apologized to Him and told Him I how much I needed Him in my life. I have a stronger relationship with Him now then I have ever had. I truly believe in Him, His miracles, His beliefs and I follow Him. I trust His plan for my life and have completely let Him have control over this little miracle He gave to us. I believe it was in His plan to give us a "scare" so that I would come back in to His life and come back into His trust. I truly believe everything happens for a reason, and this is a perfect example. There isn't a day that goes by now that I don't talk to Him, pray to Him and completley feel at peace with our relationship. I will forever be greatful for this.

I will update Monday after the ultrasound. PLEASE keep praying....it is working....we still have a healthy happy peanut! Thank you!

Love, Kristen

Follow up

I had a "follow-up" appointment today in clinic. Dr. B is on vacation so I saw another doctor who is just as amazing. She started the appointment off with a quick ultrasound of the baby. He/she had a strong heart beat and was moving around, all reassuring things.

We then discussed the hemorrhage. Yes, it is still there and has most definetly gotten bigger since May 24th. How much bigger is hard to tell but much bigger then before. A great deal of the rest of the placenta is still very much attached and hopefully giving adequate nourishment to baby. The fact that it has grown is worrisome. Does it mean I am going to lose the baby?? No one knows, but someone with a "perfect" pregnancy could lose their baby and no one would ever be able to predict that either. It does make me more at risk, but Dr. H said she wouldn't change anything about what I am doing at this point. The hemorrhage may be absorbed by my body or may bleed out. Lets hope and pray it does one of the other and doesn't continue to grow more.

This is where we stand. Right now we have a healthy little peanut growing and moving. I need to concentrate on that fact. In my heart I know God wants me to have this baby. Please continue to pray, I know prayer works and we need it more then ever. Thank you!

Love, Kristen