7 months and 4D ultrasound

Thought I should get this seven month photo posted before I hit eight months next week. ;) Baby and I are doing well, keeping up with our checkups and lots of extra ultrasounds but everything is looking great. I got back to walking this month and that and yoga are keeping me feeling good. I was dealing with some really bad back pain and then realized I was just not prioritizing walking like I had in previous pregnancies. Getting in the habit of walking again helped baby settle in a better spot and the back pain is pretty much gone--yay!

I took the kiddos to a 4D ultrasound just for fun last week. We got some precious pictures of Poptart! He had his hands and feet up close to his face, but he moves around so much that we got some sweet pictures of his face, too.

Charleston

This fall the Gent and I had a chance to return to Charleston, South Carolina. We last traveled here the last few days of our honeymoon, so a lot of life has happened since then! Thankfully the food was as delicious and the architecture as beautiful as we remembered. We enjoyed a restful few days (thanks to Bebe and Papa Rick for taking care of the munchkins!) and are thankful we had this chance to get away before Poptart's arrival.

(dinner at Magnolia's--one of our favorite's from our honeymoon, strolling Rainbow Row, shopping at the market, and enjoying room service)

Friday's Food for Thought

From Paul David Tripp's book Parenting. Controversial? Yes. Should we talking about this more? Yes.

Thoughts On Three Precious Sons

The Gent and I spent a lot of time in prayer and consideration before we felt the Lord tell us to move forward with growing our family (again). To be honest, we thought we were through after Nora. We had always talked about 4 or 6 kids and felt like four was it (I mean, four kids under four was an absolute joy that I would not trade for anything, but it was also an intense time). Our beloved David, our resurrection baby, was not a blessing we asked for, but a gift who was entrusted to us. It is no coincidence he was due right around Easter. His life and death have thinned the veil that separates us from heaven forever.

When we first found out baby Poptart was on the way, we honestly hoped baby would be a girl. We just thought it would be easier all around. But the Lord knows just what our family needs and He has once again blessed us with a precious son. I still have the same concerns that initially made me think a girl would be easier.

It is very painful for people to celebrate that Jacob is finally getting a brother. I want to tell them all that Jacob already has a brother. I remind myself often that many people don't know our story and they have their own sadnesses that they carry and that it is natural and kind for people to be excited about babies. I worry that Poptart will feel pressured to fill David's place in our family and I don't want that pressure to be put on any child ever. Our children are all about two years apart. Nora and Poptart will have four years between them, because that is David's place in the middle. I worry that someone will say something hurtful in front of Jacob along the lines of "you're finally getting a boy." I have a firstborn son. He was not birthed from my body but he is fully and completely my first son. And why are people so obsessed with the Gent "finally getting his boy?" See the complaints above.

Forgive my sensitive mama heart and celebrate with us. We already have two much-loved sons. We are abundantly blessed that the Lord has given us this third son. Feeling Poptart kick and squirm and seeing the incredible, beautiful love his siblings already have for him is a gift. We didn't think we would get to do this again. We are blessed indeed.

Fred Rogers Before Congress

My kids have very little screen time. One thing I do allow them to watch is Mr. Rogers Neighborhood (streaming on Amazon Prime). If you haven't seen this clip of Fred Rogers testifying before Congress, take a few minutes and watch it. It will warm your heart this Friday! Link here.

Poptart's Doctor Report

Just wanted to let you know our appointment went well today. Baby's blood flow numbers were down a tiny bit. The doctor is pleased and says things are moving in the right direction and we are not to worry. We go back in a week. My titer level (amount of antibody-E circulating in my blood--we rely on this test along with the ultrasound) is very, very low, under 1.

The doctor said he doesn't see a need to induce until 39 weeks. He also mentioned that if I just wanted to wait for labor to begin on its own that would be fine with him up until 41 weeks. So it sounds like we have more options about labor than we were originally told.

IF baby's numbers start climbing and we get close to the anemia numbers (which stress baby's heart) we would treat with intrauterine blood transfusions until 34 weeks. After that point we would deliver early. That's the just-in-case plan and our doctor said several times he does not see that happening. I'm 27 weeks 3 days today and baby is measuring in the 90th percentile; the ultrasound measurements guessed 2 lbs, 12 oz.

We are thankful for reassuring news today. Thanks for continuing to pray with us.

Baby Update

We had another check-up for baby this week. The high-risk ob has been monitoring the blood flow through baby's brain by ultrasound--if it starts getting faster that's the first sign of a potential problem with this antibody-E. Well, after several weeks of good reports, today's scan showed that baby's blood flow has gotten faster. We go back Monday at 8:30 for another scan. Please pray that the blood flow will slow down a bit (today's number was 50, around 30 is better) or stay the same. The doctor says that baby is perfectly healthy and growing well and there are not currently any problems. There is potential for a problem to develop and we need to be proactive. Thanks for praying with us.