2 Months

This months big news: Annabelle is smiling!! I can't even put into words how much I enjoy seeing my little girl smile at me! She is even making little noises while she smiles that my mom and I believe are giggles! :)

The last month has gone by REALLY fast. We spent the month of October visiting with friends and family, attending Halloween functions, carving pumpkins, and enjoying the weather!
I have officially gone back to work, which makes things hectic and a little difficult at times. Sometimes I feel like Jim and I are bargaining with the devil for sleep! Haha. The good thing about my job is that I get to take Annabelle with me. I am so thankful that I don't have to leave her with a stranger every day to go to work .
My dad and I took Annabelle to the pumpkin patch. It was a little chilly, but very sunny and pretty. We tried to get some good pictures of Annabelle with the pumpkins, but sometimes it's hard to get an 8-week old to cooperate for pictures! Here are a few of the decent ones!

Annabelle also got to spend some time visiting with her best friends Georgia and Molly! Sarah and I got a little carried away with a box full of Halloween costumes.....

One last thing.... We want to say congratulations to the Kortepeters, the Timms, the Duncans and both sets of the Smiths! Annabelle can't wait to meet all of her new friends!
More updates to come.... Love you all! :)

One Month

We can't believe that Annabelle is already a month old! She is growing so fast and changing so much already! There is one thing that isn't changing though.... her lack of desire to sleep. I swear she is awake 20 hours a day. One month old and already an insomniac. Haha. We are very sleepy, but having fun watching Belle grow!
Over the last month, we have been trying to get out as much as possible and enjoy the last little bit of nice weather. We have been taking walks in Broad Ripple, watching Hoosier Cross cycling, and visiting with friends. We have also been letting Granny Shanny take her for a few hours a week so we can still have a date night.
My friend Amanda is a photographer and was nice enough to come over and take some newborn pics of Annabelle when she was 6 days old. You can check them out on her blog. The link is on the right side of our blog! ((Amanda Nicole Photography)) You can also find the pictures on my facebook!
My favorite things about Belle right now: the silly faces she makes, the little noises she makes and listening to her try and find her voice, watching her raise her head and look around, the way she looks at me and daddy, the way she feels when shes sleeping on my chest, the way she spreads her toes out... just like mommy, and when she reaches her hand up and touches my face.
More updates to come... and hopefully an update from daddy!
Love you all!

Welcome to the World!

She's here! She's here! Annabelle Briar Douglas was born 9-3-09 at 2:47pm, 7lbs 7oz, 20 inches long.
Wednesday morning at my doctors appointment, I was 4cm and 90% effaced. They stripped my membranes again and sent me home. Around 4pm I started having sporadic contractions. By 10:30pm, they were 10 minutes apart and getting impossible to walk through. The were 5 minutes apart by midnight, and we were off to the hospital at about 1:45am. We got there at about 2:15 and I was 5cm and 100%. It was another hour before they had my IV in and my room ready. Once we got settled in to our room, it was time for my epidural. I thought that it was going to be horribly painful, and it wasn't at all. I couldn't believe how much better I felt after that! Around 6am, we ((Jim, my mom and I)) decided that we were all going to try and take a nap. I was so excited that I couldn't really sleep, but I atleast relaxed for a little bit. At 7:30am I was 7.5cm. When they checked again at 10:30am, I hadn't changed, so they started a pitocin drip. I was thankful that it sped things along, but it made the contractions so strong that the epidural wasn't really helping anymore.
At 12:55pm, the nurse said it was time to start pushing! I pushed for an hour and 52 minutes and I can honestly say it was the longest 2 hours of my life! ((But worth every minute, of course!))
On Friday afternoon they told us that her bilirubin levels were really high and that we would have to use what is called a bili-blanket. Well, long story short, it didn't work... and at 5:30pm on Saturday, we were headed to the NICU. We spent the night there while Annabelle hung out under the big lights. She did really well, and actually seemed to enjoy her silly goggles and the warm lights. Jim and I were also very thankful for a good nights sleep. When we left the NICU, we said goodbye to room 6177, and acknowledged the fact that it would probably be the last good nights sleep we would have for about 18 years. haha. Her bilirubin levels are down now, and we are spending a few minutes in the sun every day to try and clear up her yellow skin and eyes.
The first few nights at home were really good. Annabelle slept 3 and 1/2 hours at a time, woke up to eat, and went right back to bed. That has not been the case the last 2 nights. She has been awake literally all night and mommy is starting to get very tired. Hopefully once she gets a little older, she will get in the habit of sleeping at night and not all day. We aren't holding our breath though... lol.
All in all, she is a very good baby. We are so glad that she is here and are enjoying every step of this journey. My friend Amanda is a photographer ((the link to her blog is on the right side of this blog)), and came to take newborn pictures on Wednesday. I can't wait to see them, and will post them as soon as we have them!
Thanks so much to all of you that have sent your love and come to visit! It's great to have such good friends and family to share this with! Love you all!

38 weeks, 4 days

Well, I'm still pregnant! My doctor told me three and a half weeks ago that I wasn't going to make it another two weeks, but I guess she was wrong! My buddy Bagger made a joke about doctors being like the weather man.... hahaha.
Not much to write about. I am still at 3.5cm, 75% effaced, and +1 station. They stripped my membranes on Wednesday of last week, but still nothing. They will do it again when I go in this Wednesday. Everyone is taking bets on when she is coming. My money is on Thursday the 3rd. I hope it is soon. She is getting very big and has dropped and I am pretty much in constant pain. Its getting very hard to move around, and sleeping at night is getting very difficult.
Jim and I have been trying to keep busy and have a little fun. We went to the Moto GP on Sunday, and it was a really good time. The weather was perfect and a few friends came and met us. We also got to visit with friends on Saturday afternoon. Our neighborhood threw a neighborhood picnic on Sunday evening, and it was nice to get to meet some of the neighbors. I think we may have found some new euchre buddies! :)
Since I am not working anymore, I am starting to get VERY bored during the day. I have been mowing the yard and talking long walks with the dog in an attempt to induce labor, but so far, no luck. I have also been enjoying going to meet my mom for lunch a couple times a week. It's nice to get to see her more frequently. My sister keeps telling me to enjoy the peace and quite while I can.... but the boredom is driving me insane. Hurry up Annabelle!!!
Well, that's all for now. I will post after my doctors appointment on Wednesday with an update!

Amniocentesis Results Are In..........

.........and Annabelle has 23 pairs of perfect chromosomes! :)

Ready or not.... Here she comes! ((35 and 1/2 weeks))

I went to the doctor last Wednesday and found out that I was 2cm dilated and 40% effaced. Well, on Sunday I lost my mucus plug... and at yesterdays appointment I was 3.5cm dilated and 60% effaced. My doctors exact words were "go home and pack your bags honey... and make sure the car is full of gas!" She said that we have a week, maybe two.... but that she would "bet money" on the fact that we won't make it another two weeks. Much to my dismay, she put me on bedrest to prevent my cervix from dilating any faster than it already is..... so here I am..... laying in bed.... eating cold spaghettios at 9am. Hahaha. I really just hope we can make it to 37 weeks ((Thursday August 20th)). I would feel soooo much better about her lung maturity if she could just hold out a little longer! I feel like I jinxed us because I kept telling her that I wanted her to be a little early so daddy wouldn't be out of town when I go into labor! ((Jim has a business trip soon after our projected due date.)) Either Annabelle is a very good listener, or she's just impatient like her parents! :)
We have another ultrasound today, so we will see how big she is. She was 5lb 2 oz last week, so I hope that she has put on at least another 1/2 pound. We'd really like to see her make it to 6 pounds before she gets here. Wish us luck!
Still no amnio results.... they said 7-10 days.... today is day 7.
I'll keep you guys posted! Thanks so much for all the supportive texts, emails and facebook messages we have received.... they really mean a lot to us!

Amniocentesis

Well, its been a long and stressful week, but thankfully we are done. Let's go back to last Tuesday and start there.....
I had an appointment with my specialist, which we thought was going to be my last appointment. I told Jim that he did not need to come because it was just a routine ultrasound. Of course, the one time I go alone, something is wrong. Dr. Lenke discovered that Annabelle has a condition called Fetal Hydronephrosis. Basically, what this means is that her kidneys are enlarged and are retaining too much urine. It is a very common condition and will be fairly easy to treat once she is born. What made it so stressful for us is this conditions connection to Down Syndrome.
Around 18 weeks, my doctor did a blood test called the quad-serum marker. If you are currently pregnant and debating whether or not to have this test done, I would advise you not to! The quad screening assesses your risk for the 4 major genetic disorders.... down syndrome, trisomy 13, spinal bifida and trisomy 18. Our test came back high risk for down syndrome. We were told that our risk was 1 in 62. There are 6 things that they look for in an ultrasound called "soft markers" that would also indicate down syndrome. They sent us to the specialist and after multiple ultrasounds and a fetal heart echo, they found none of the markers. The specialist gave us the option for an amnio at 24 weeks, and we chose not to do it. The risk of an amnio at that time did not seem worth it for only a 1.6% chance of down syndrome.
Well..... fetal hydronephrosis is one of the soft markers they were originally looking for. Annabelle's diagnosis of FH increased our risk of down syndrome to 1 in 32. Even though there is only a 3.2% chance of down syndrome, we felt that it was time to do the amnio. The difference between doing it now and doing it 10 weeks ago is that she would survive if the amnio went wrong and the sack was ruptured.
Our amnio was this morning and everything went just fine. It was painful and made me very nauseous ((because I am TERRIFIED of needles)), but there were no complications. We also saw a fetal cardiologist for another heart echo. ((40% of all down syndrome babies have a heart defect, and often they can be found in a fetal echo.)) The cardiologist said that Belle's heart looks good and everything appears to be normal. The results of the amnio take 7-10 days, so we will let you know as soon as we know something. We believe in our hearts that she is just fine, but want to be prepared if she turns out to be special.
On a positive note, Belle is measuring a week ahead and weighs 5lbs 2oz. I can't believe how fast she is growing. Just a week ago she was 4lbs 11oz. We go back for another ultrasound next Tuesday, so it will be fun to see how much she has grown in a week!
Enough of that..........
Saturday I had another shower. Mackenzie was nice enough to throw me a shower for my close girlfriends! It was so great to see everyone and I had so much fun! I can't thank Kenz enough for putting it all together for me. I went to Target yesterday to blow some gift cards and got all of the last minute stuff that we still didn't have. The nursery is done, the clothes are clean and put away, the diaper bag is packed, the bag for the hospital is packed, the carseat is in the car..... now all we need is a baby! I can't even put in to words how excited I am! My patience ((which most people know I have VERY little of)) is growing even thinner than usual. Jim and I can't wait to meet our sweet baby girl!
Oh, and be sure to read the post previous to this. After 8 months of nagging... I finally got Jim to post on the blog! :)
Love you all and will post again soon!

Hello World.....

So, I've been a neglectful daddy when it comes to participating in the blog of Annabelle and our journey to bring her into the world. I'll certainly try to be better about it moving forward and given that she's almost here (38 days and counting), I had better get on it.

I'm sure it will be easier when she is here and we can post non-ultrasound pictures. For now, we've been working around the house, getting rooms ready, plugging up outlets and making sure that the physical prep is the last thing that we have to worry about. The once a week baby classes haven't added too much stress and certainly don't consume too much time, but have been worth it so far. If nothing else, it's nice to hear other people our age with the same concerns that we have.

Ciao for now,
Jimbo

SUCCESS!!

After two days of painting and decorating, the nursery is officially done! I am so proud of how everything turned out! Mom did an awesome job on the mural, and Jimmy was a huge help with the hardware stuff ((curtain rods, shelves, light fixtures etc.))! Mom was nice enough to give us her glider to put in there, so now we even have a place to rock little Belle to sleep!! I am just so excited that it is all done! I can't wait for her to get here so we can start using the room!

Painting the nursey

Mom came today to paint the nursery! I can't thank her enough for all her hard work. I absolutely love how it turned out! Now all the nursery needs is a curtain rod and curtain for the window, some shelves above the changing table, and some wooden letters spelling her names above the dresser and the room will be done! We also have to go to moms and pick up the rocker and bring it over! I will post more pictures once it is all done! We are hoping to get most of it done this weekend or the first few days next week!
We named the little monkey Oliver. I just felt that he should have a name :)

Belly Progression

32 Weeks

Sorry I haven't been very good about keeping this updated! A lot has been going on since my last post!
The doctors appointments have been going well. At our last ultrasound, Annabelle was measuring a week ahead and in the 64th percentile, so they are no longer worried about her size. This was a huge relief to us. Now, we just have to work on MY size. I am seeing the doctor every two weeks now, and at my last appointment, I had lost 4 pounds since my previous appointment. My doctor said that she really doesn't want to see me going backwards when it comes to my weight. Its very frustrating for me because I feel like I am doing everything that I can. I am eating 6 small meals a day just like they said, and I am eating as much food as I can possibly keep down, and I'm still not gaining any weight. I am 32 weeks right now, and I have only gained 3.4 pounds since my 10 week appointment. ((Annabelle was measuring at 3.1 pounds at my 29 week ulrasound!)) Oh well. As long as she is healthy and getting the nutrients that she needs, I don't mind being small. :)
I had my family baby shower a few weeks ago. I had such a good time and was so happy to see everyone! There were 50 people there, so it was a little hectic at times, but still really great. I can't thank Sue and my mom enough for all of their hard work getting it together! I think Jim was a little overwhelmed when I came home with an entire car load of baby stuff. :) 1 shower down... 2 more to go! :)
After the shower came the fun part.... putting the nursery together!! Jim and I spent an entire afternoon putting together furniture, taking tags off of clothes, washing clothes and organizing toys. My mom came the next weekend and her and Jim painted the walls. I wanted to help, but the smell of the paint made me feel a little woozy. Mom is coming back next Friday to paint the mural on the main wall, and then I will post some pictures. I love having an artist for a mother! :)
We had our breastfeeding class on Monday. Most of the information was just a review for me since I have been reading breastfeeding books, but I think Jim really learned a lot. It was great to meet the lactation consultant and get our questions answered, and meet other people who had the same concerns and apprehensions as us. It's nice to know you aren't alone! Our 4-session childbirth education class starts on Monday the 27th, so we are pretty excited about that. I've heard mixed reviews about this class, but am going in to it with an open mind. :)
I have started having brackston hicks contractions. It's a strange sensation, but thankfully not painful! They pretty much just serve as a reminder of how close we are getting!! I am also feeling all kinds of fun movement. She has started kicking less, but is rolling around more. I love that when I lay down and watch my belly, I can see her little elbows and knees poking out and moving across my belly. She has been a great source of amusement when I am home alone and bored during the week.
Well, I think that about covers it for now. Here are some new ultrasound pictures, and an updated picture of my growing belly! More to come....

24 weeks




Well, we're 24 weeks and FINALLY feeling better. Still a little rocky at times, but doing ok for the most part. The other good news is that I got my zofran pump off! Its only been a couple days, but so far so good.
We had an ultrasound last week and Annabelle weighs 1lb 6oz. She is still a little small, but is progressing nicely, and is healthy.
Now that I can keep food down, my belly is starting to appear. I love that I can feel her moving and that Jim can feel her kick.
Here are our latest ultrasound pictures,and one of my growing belly!

Zofran (Reglan) Pump

Around the second week of January, I began throwing up between 5 and 12 times a day. My doctors put me on Zofran ((anti-nausea medication)) and told me that it would get better around 12 weeks. Well, 12 weeks have come and gone, and there has been zero improvement.
On Tuesday, Matria Home Healthcare sent a lovely woman to our house to "install" my zofran pump and teach me how to use it. This pump basically pumps a constant stream of anti-nausea meds directly into my blood stream. It has been two days now, and I am not feeling any relief. Hopefully it is coming soon! They said that it would take a few days to get the dose right and for me to start feeling better, so I am just trying to eat when I can and stick it out. Updates to come......

12 week ultrasound