30? How did that happen??

30 weeks!

This morning I got the best 30-week present EVER! The perinatologist reported that little Elfie is cured of his arrhythmia!! I am over the moon that my guy is healthy and that this "hiccup" has resolved itself (at least for now!!!).

To make my life even more fantastic, the doctor gave me some INCREDIBLE 3D pictures of our handsome little boy! This was such an unexpected, added bonus that I bawled like a baby right then and there as I saw my son's face for the first time. I got to watch him opening and closing his mouth and covering his face with this hands. Unbelievable! He looks just like his daddy!!!!!

How is it that this pregnancy is three-quarters complete? Where has the time gone? I cannot believe that in a few short months I will be what I've dreamt about my entire life: a mommy. It's simply unreal.

Here's his profile:



And a straight-on face shot with his mouth open:



And one of the 3-D shots (he has his hand over one of his eyes):

Some Relief

The appointment this morning went well. This doctor is, by far, the best I have ever been to in terms of his bedside manner and attention to detail. I know he works primarily with high-risk pregnancies, so it's his job to be uber-sensitive to hormonal pregnant women..it is my impression that he is certainly in the right profession!

We started out with a full anatomy scan of Elfie. Boy, is he growing! He is now measuring 13 days ahead of schedule, and is an astonishing 3 pounds. I was shocked! We got some great pics that I'll scan and post later.

The doctor was a bit concerned that he is so big. I hadn't been worried (until today!) because M is a big guy and was 11 pounds at birth. We just always expected to have a big baby. So my instructions are to reduce my carb intake...uggh! That's a hard assignment, since that what I crave the most besides fruit! Oh well, small price to pay for Elfie's health.

And then on to the goods:

After an extremely detailed look at the heart, the doctor determined there aren't any structural abnormalities. We did see and hear the irregular beats, and he explained to us that it is not uncommon for them to resolve themselves. I was instructed to eliminate ALL sources of caffeine from my diet, including chocolate and (get this!) my cocoa butter stretch mark cream! Apparently, unbeknownst to me, I've been feeding my baby caffeine through my belly every morning! So there goes that.

Oh yes, and one more set of instructions: "Have a great time in Costa Rica!"

I left feeling much better, but of course it's going to be in the back of my mind until it's gone or we know more. I have a follow-up appointment in two weeks. If the arrhythmia is still there I will be monitored weekly with this perinatologists until I deliver. He also did mention that there is an increased chance that, if the arrhythmia persists, I'll be recommended for c-section, as they prefer to not put the baby in a stressful labor situation under these circumstances.


For now, I'm just taking my kick counts, relaxing as much as possible, and PACKING! We leave early Saturday morning and return the following Sunday, do I probably won't be blogging until at least then. I hope you all continue to enjoy June!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

Good news first:

I did, indeed, pass my glucose test, although the number (115) was not as low as I thought it would be judging by my "almost passing out" experience!

Bad news second:

M and I are involved in a worker's comp nightmare (really just filling out the paperwork, knowing whom to send it to, waiting for calls to be returned, etc, etc.). This is regarding the $2600 hospital stay I had as a result of the soccerball to the uterus at school. Uggh. I hate this.

And now, the Ugly:

My appointment with Dr. D this morning revealed the Elfie has a cardiac arrhythmia. As soon as he put that doppler on my belly I knew that the beats were not right. His little heart would beat 3 or 4 times and then skip one or two; wash, rinse, repeat. Dr. D is sending me to the perinatologist on Thursday morning to have him check the chambers and valves of my little guy's heart. I am freaking out, but know that there is nothing I can do to make it better right now except wait and pray. I am reassured with the fact that Elfie is extremely active (which the Dr. said is an excellent thing), but just can't help but be apprehensive.

Obviously, if we find an abnormality, our trip to Costa Rica is out of the question. My own heart feels so fragile right now...I'm asking for lost of prayers and support if you can lend it.

I found it!

Oh my goodness, what a glorious day! I just finished wiping the tears from my eyes, because..

..I have found my baby's heartbeat!!!! Elfie is aliiiive!!!!

So here's the backstory on the fetal doppler:
On Sunday, I was being lazy and surfing youtube for pregnancy-related videos. I came across one that showed a couple at home listening to their little one's hb and she was only 11.5 weeks. M heard the video and asked what I was doing. I told him how cool it would be to listen any time we want, but that dopplers were really expensive and not worth the cost at this point. What's funny about my comment is that I had just assumed they were too costly, but had never really done any research. Don't get me wrong, if you WANTED TO, you could easily spend a couple hundred bucks on a fancy, high-tech device. But we went the way of an am.azon search and found one for THIRTY THREE DOLLARS!! My first reaction was that it was cheap and wouldn't work...but it got 4.5 stars and a lot of great reviews, so we decided $33 was worth it. It doesn't have speakers, so you have to listen through headphones, OR you can hook it up to your computer and create an audio file to send to relatives.

So I wasn't really sure what to expect when the ultrasound gel arrived today. I bared my belly, squeezed on the gel, and waited. And searched. And waited. And got frustrated. And got panicky. And finally found it. Oh my, what a sound. I had heard it before, but not in the convenience of my house with the questioning looks from my darling dog! What a huge relief!

I think I might already be addicted!

Wonderful Day

M and I laid eyes on our future child for the first time today. We saw the cute little blob on the screen, and for the 2 seconds between that and seeing the flickering heartbeat, I forgot to breathe. It was the most amazing, moving sight.

And the tears came. And came...I didn't hear a word anyone else said the rest of the time because I just couldn't get over the feeling of seeing a living thing in my body.

We will go back in two weeks and hopefully hear the heartbeat.

This is so surreal. Pinch me, it feels like I'm dreaming.