So it's been quite a while since I've written anything, so what better thing to do at 6am on a Saturday morning when you can't sleep than blog, right? I apologize in advance, chances are this will be a long one. I'll even save my health care rant for another day. So here goes:Ultrasound
I think the biggest thing that's happened since I last wrote is that we had the ultrasound (two, actually). We went to the clinic and sat in a dark room and caught an amazing first glimpse at our girl (yes, our girl, we think). The ultrasound tech was nice, but quiet and didn't really tell us much (she can't), but the news of a girl was enough to get excited about. It's amazing now the things you can see on an ultrasound. The one above is one of our favorites. As I said, they think it's a girl - with girls they're mostly looking for something to be missing, with boys they're looking for something to be there, so it's easier to be sure with a boy. So really, they can't confirm for sure, but they think it's a girl.
You can see this is her profile. The two black dots in her chest area are her heart and stomach. The thing on top of her head making her look like a rooster is actually her hand. I think she already has a sense of humor - in fact, it reminds me of a particular scene in Arrested Development with a chicken dance. Either that, or she just likes to sleep on her arm.
To celebrate, I even made them give me a pink balloon at lunch! :) That night we went out for dinner to celebrate my birthday and the aunties and my cousin went NUTS with girl stuff (and I'm sure not the end of the pink explosion). It was very fun!
The next day was my check up appointment where the doctor told me the results of the ultrasound. She came in and said the words that nobody ever wants to hear: "I saw something that I want you to get checked out." She scanned through the photos until she got to one of the abdomen. She pointed out all of the organs, then pointed to a black dot and said that she wasn't exactly sure what that was. Black dot means fluid, so it could be a cyst, it could be nothing or a weird angle, or it could be something else called double bubble syndrome. Huh?
Short answer (after MUCH research) is that double bubble syndrome is where the belly doesn't form properly, and stomach acid leaks out basically developing a second stomach, which looks like a double bubble (you know, when you blow bubbles and 2 are attached). Double bubble itself is treatable with surgery after birth, but it is one of the major markers for two words expecting moms hate to hear: DOWNS SYNDROME [to be read in a big booming scary voice]. Scary!
Now, I have a cousin who has a child with DS. They are very happy and he's a really WONDERFUL boy. Of course, if we had a child with DS, we wouldn't do anything any differently. My thoughts are if we had a girl with DS, it would be because we would be able to give her a better life than anyone else - and would she be loved! Still, no one likes to get this news. So we had to schedule a second ultrasound with a genetic specialist. I've been waiting and dying for an ultrasound since the beginning and watched as all of my friends had ultrasounds, and now I get two, but not for a good reason.
I took the next possible appointment the next day, didn't sleep a wink (there was a lot of late night internet searching on DS), and we all went over to have another ultrasound. When I mean "we all" I mean a huge group of people. Paul (of course), my mom, and my aunts Lisa and Mary. Lisa and Mary both work at Children's in St. Paul. They came along since they knew the Dr. and would know exactly what they're talking about. Honestly, it was really nice to have some folks in the room with me who knew what they were talking about. I'm so lucky to have such an amazing support system. Here's the short answer: it was not double bubble. The specialist thinks that it was the gall bladder at a weird angle that the Dr. was seeing. They checked for all of the other DS markers - 3 bones in the pinky, cleft pallet, femur length, neck thickness, etc. We got an extra high power US, more certainty that it was a girl, and a big sigh of relief. The specialist wants us to return in a few weeks for another look at the heart (she was hiding behind my belly button and they didn't get good measurements of the walls). But so far, we have a healthy little girl. Hooray!
Short answer (after MUCH research) is that double bubble syndrome is where the belly doesn't form properly, and stomach acid leaks out basically developing a second stomach, which looks like a double bubble (you know, when you blow bubbles and 2 are attached). Double bubble itself is treatable with surgery after birth, but it is one of the major markers for two words expecting moms hate to hear: DOWNS SYNDROME [to be read in a big booming scary voice]. Scary!
Now, I have a cousin who has a child with DS. They are very happy and he's a really WONDERFUL boy. Of course, if we had a child with DS, we wouldn't do anything any differently. My thoughts are if we had a girl with DS, it would be because we would be able to give her a better life than anyone else - and would she be loved! Still, no one likes to get this news. So we had to schedule a second ultrasound with a genetic specialist. I've been waiting and dying for an ultrasound since the beginning and watched as all of my friends had ultrasounds, and now I get two, but not for a good reason.
I took the next possible appointment the next day, didn't sleep a wink (there was a lot of late night internet searching on DS), and we all went over to have another ultrasound. When I mean "we all" I mean a huge group of people. Paul (of course), my mom, and my aunts Lisa and Mary. Lisa and Mary both work at Children's in St. Paul. They came along since they knew the Dr. and would know exactly what they're talking about. Honestly, it was really nice to have some folks in the room with me who knew what they were talking about. I'm so lucky to have such an amazing support system. Here's the short answer: it was not double bubble. The specialist thinks that it was the gall bladder at a weird angle that the Dr. was seeing. They checked for all of the other DS markers - 3 bones in the pinky, cleft pallet, femur length, neck thickness, etc. We got an extra high power US, more certainty that it was a girl, and a big sigh of relief. The specialist wants us to return in a few weeks for another look at the heart (she was hiding behind my belly button and they didn't get good measurements of the walls). But so far, we have a healthy little girl. Hooray!
Registry - oh the horrors!
I guess the other thing that has been happening so far is that we started our registry and shopping for a crib. I met my mom, aunt Lisa and cousin Abby over at Babies R Us to get things started. Paul isn't so much into the big box store shopping, so I figure I'll do most of the leg work and he can look at the list at the end or help a bit along the way. Plus, Lisa works in health care and knows a lot about safety/needs, my mom has amazing taste (and she's a mom), and my cousin Abby has done a lot of nannying, all of which make them very helpful advisers, I think.
After about 4 hours, we really didn't get very far. The problem is I hadn't done enough research before we left. We started in strollers. I opted for a travel system that includes both a stroller and a carrier. I will also need a convertible car seat (which we also registered for) for when she gets above 35 lbs. We also saw high chairs, bouncer seats, and picked out a pack and play. Then we got to cribs - talk about overwhelming!
They all look about the same, but are varying degrees of quality. I think I want something that will last a long time, so we're going with a convertible crib (basically, it goes from a crib to a toddler bed to a full size head and foot board). I'm hoping for something that's solid wood, versus a paneling that will chip and show scratches (not to mention the soft wood is less sturdy). So this is going to be a bit of an investment.
The crib section basically ended our registry session. Paul and I went back on a weeknight and made a little more headway, but we still haven't decided on a crib. We're trying to decide between one at BRU that is ok quality (we can get a 20% discount on 2 of the three pieces with some upcoming coupons), or a very nice one from a private non-corporate business (Baby Grand) that is basically about the same cost as the first without the discount that will likely last for the next 20+ years.
The other option is back to the drawing board, but besides the high end baby boutique, the super cheap (and not that attractive) options at Ikea, the okay but not unique options at BRU, and online, there really are not a lot of places that sell crib sets. So, with these limited options, we have a big decision to make. Be cheap and have something that won't last, or invest in a piece that could possibly follow our girl to college. Any votes or advice?
After about 4 hours, we really didn't get very far. The problem is I hadn't done enough research before we left. We started in strollers. I opted for a travel system that includes both a stroller and a carrier. I will also need a convertible car seat (which we also registered for) for when she gets above 35 lbs. We also saw high chairs, bouncer seats, and picked out a pack and play. Then we got to cribs - talk about overwhelming!
They all look about the same, but are varying degrees of quality. I think I want something that will last a long time, so we're going with a convertible crib (basically, it goes from a crib to a toddler bed to a full size head and foot board). I'm hoping for something that's solid wood, versus a paneling that will chip and show scratches (not to mention the soft wood is less sturdy). So this is going to be a bit of an investment.
The crib section basically ended our registry session. Paul and I went back on a weeknight and made a little more headway, but we still haven't decided on a crib. We're trying to decide between one at BRU that is ok quality (we can get a 20% discount on 2 of the three pieces with some upcoming coupons), or a very nice one from a private non-corporate business (Baby Grand) that is basically about the same cost as the first without the discount that will likely last for the next 20+ years.
The other option is back to the drawing board, but besides the high end baby boutique, the super cheap (and not that attractive) options at Ikea, the okay but not unique options at BRU, and online, there really are not a lot of places that sell crib sets. So, with these limited options, we have a big decision to make. Be cheap and have something that won't last, or invest in a piece that could possibly follow our girl to college. Any votes or advice?
Well, that's it for now. More to come now that work has quieted down a bit (I have some ranting to do about health care) and we have another ultrasound coming up. So stay tuned! :)
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