Sparky Update - 20.5 Weeks

We had our big ultrasound today, and Sparky looks great!  All the measurements point to a healthy baby, which is a relief.  He or she currently weighs about 12 ounces and my official due date is now September 9.  Too bad babies never come on their due dates because 9/9/11 would be a cool birthday to have.


I only gained 1 pound this month, which was a relief after hitting 12 pounds as of my 17 week check-up (that seems like a lot to me considering most of the weight gain should occur in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters).


They did say my placenta is currently anterior, which means it's within 2 cm of my cervix.  Most often that corrects itself throughout the pregnancy, but if not I will require a c-section.  That brings me to my current dilemma.  You may remember that I had a c-section with Jack after I got stuck at 6 cm dilated, his heart rate kept dropping and he was face up.  So that gives me two options for this birth: schedule a c-section or attempt a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean).  


Most people will not understand why this is a dilemma for me (Jason included), but I was absolutely crushed during Jack's birth when I didn't even make it to the pushing phase of labor. In my mind, that is true child birth, and I didn't get to experience it.  Of course, those who have been through it will tell me I'm not missing much and I realize it's no cakewalk, it's just something I've always wanted to experience despite the pain.  BUT there is a slight risk with a VBAC (about 1%) that the c-section incision in my cervix could burst during pushing and worst case scenario I could lose my cervix and possibly even the baby.  I would never forgive myself if I selfishly wanted to experience childbirth as it was meant to be and in turn put my baby's life in danger.  The doctor told me today that a new study shows that the type of incision I had on my cervix (double sewn or something) leads to less risky VBACs, but still, is it worth the risk??


I am leaning towards the c-section despite my desire to experience a vaginal birth. There are things that may force me to have a c-section in the end anyway (i.e. the aforementioned anterior placenta and the fact that Jack was 8 lbs, 7 oz and second babies tend to be larger than first).  But my second dilemma is that I don't really want to choose my child's birthday.  When I told Jason this he thought I was nuts, and my doctor seemed to agree with Jason today, though he was trying to appear indifferent.  I see the pros in scheduling the date, especially with a toddler and a dog for which to arrange care, but again it's not how child birth was meant to me.


I told my doctor I'd make my decisions before my appointment next month, so we'll see where I end up.  Decisions, decisions.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to everyone!  We had a nice Easter despite the yucky weather.  The tornado on Friday night tore down a 40 foot steeple off the church right next to my parents' street and destroyed many homes very close to them.  They were very lucky and only had a bit of siding and screen damage.  I was at the movie with my friends Melissa & Jill, and we were forced to evacuate to the vestibule about 3 minutes in.  We received a voucher to use another night, but that's easier said than done with 3 mommies with 5 kids between us.  Hopefully we can find a date to reschedule!

We were also scheduled to do an Easter egg hunt Saturday morning with lots of friends, but again the weather had other plans and rained it out.  Bummer.  Hopefully next year when there will be three more kiddos to participate.

We planned to meet the Easter Bunny at the egg hunt, so when that fell through we went to the mall instead.  Not surprisingly, for those who know Jack, this was the result:

Jack did have his own Easter egg hunt this morning.  He caught on quickly thanks to the practice sessions he's been having at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

And he also got lots of goodies in his Easter basket.

Jack and his cousins had another egg hunt at Grandma & Grandpa Clayton's house.  Then the 3 kids went into the toy room and later downstairs to play - our little guy is growing up!!

 Oops!

 Silly faces at dinner

 Donning the shades my Aunt Lori got him

Here are a few pictures of the goofy guy from a week or so ago.

Zoo Visit

We took our 2nd trip to the Zoo today (the first was on Jack's first birthday).  It was a great day!  Jack loved looking at the different animals.  We rode the train, and he wasn't really sure what to think.  He was basically motionless and silent for the first 3/4ths of the ride, then he finally started enjoying it.  It was funny - especially with how obsessed the little guy is with "choo choos."  He was the same way on the carousel - even though he's been on numerous carousels before.

We also got him to wear a baseball cap for about 1/2 the day - that's by far the longest he's ever worn it!  He looked so handsome, despite his ears sticking out (it's a little too big).

 He really liked watching the monkeys/apes/baboons/gorillas (whatever they were)

I became a Zoo Member this year to support our local (& free!) zoo, and it comes with some perks like free parking, free train and carousel rides, etc.  We'll be going back for sure!

Croup & Fun Times

Poor Mr. Jack got sick again two weekends ago - this time with croup.  Man, that is a nasty sound coming from your toddler!  We took him to the pediatric urgent care last Sunday rather than waiting until Monday and they gave him a steroid to help the swelling in his vocal cords go down.  He slept great that night, so I guess it helped.  Other than that, you just have to ride this one out.  He's feeling good now, but still has that lingering cough (a week and a half later), especially when he's just waking up.

We've had a few bouts of great weather around here, so we've played outside as much as we can.  A few weeks ago, we met the Ashers and Lades up at a park to BBQ.  The kiddos had a blast playing on the playground - it was a nice day!  My pictures are not great (capturing 3 toddlers is quite a challenge), but here are a few:

Addi sliding

Hugs from Reghan:

Miss Addison:

Hugs from Addi - love this pic!

A few weeks ago I went to a consignment sale with my friend Rebecca.  We had some good finds, as displayed here:

We also have a new habit in our house.  Jack was taught by one of his parents (not me) to carry his little wooden chair to the kitchen to stand on so he can see what's going on in there.  Now he carries the chair everywhere.  Can't reach the bathroom sink?  No worries, I'll just go grab my chair.  Can't push the water dispenser on the fridge?  Not a problem with a chair to stand on.  Nothing is out of reach anymore! 

 He's carried this habit into dinnertime, which has been good and bad.  It's bad for obvious reasons: who wants to start this habit with their toddler?  

 On the flip side, until now we've been battling keeping him sitting in his little chair for a full meal - we are constantly saying "are you all finished?"  "No."  "OK, well then come sit back down."  With the new 'eating while standing on my little chair' thing, it's much harder for him to wander around so we typically get a full meal in before we takes off.  I'll take it for now.  

We had our final tumbling class tonight.  That was money/time well spent - I recommend it for parents of toddlers.  They just had so much fun week after week!!

So strong!

 

Somersault!

 Getting his stamp at the end of class - one of the highlights!

 A certificate!  He passed!

Addi & Jack with their newly-earned certificates

A few other random pictures:

Just hanging out in the tub with his clothes on.

Notice his left hand - he did this all on his own the other night.  Baseball star in training.

Jack's getting very curious about the potty.  So far he's not all that interested in actually sitting there, especially when he's naked, but he's always telling us what we're doing when we're on the potty.  Baby steps.

Had to take this picture the other night.  I have no idea why, but every time Jack "cooks," step one is placing the tongs around his neck.  What a goofball!

Trying out the water table he got for Christmas - finally warm enough to use it!!  Later in the afternoon, the 4 year old neighbor came over and they had a water fight.  Jack was drenched afterwards, but he had a blast.  I think there will be some fun times on our patio this summer!

Phew!  That was a lot of pictures for one post, but I was a little backlogged with all the random snippets.