Christmas

 After spending the past three Christmas holidays in Oregon with Don's family, we decided to stay in Tacoma this year with my family.  We had a great Christmas.  Both Christmas Eve and Day were spent at my parent's house with my younger brother, Tony, Heather, Jacob and Alyssa, Heather's parents and my parents.  After dinner and family time on Christmas Eve we went to Mass at St. Leo's.  We spent the early part of Christmas day here at our house with the dogs.  Santa was very good to LadyBug and Lola.  We headed to mom & dad's in the early afternoon for a late lunch and then helped with dinner preparations.  

For those of you who have been requesting a belly shot, you'll see one to the left.  

I hope your holiday was peace filled and merry, 

~B

Baby's doing well....

We had another ultrasound yesterday morning. Last month, Peanut was measuring in the 36th percentile for growth. Yesterday she was in the 35th - not bad. They measured all of her parts and pieces and everything is right on track and they released from Maternal/Fetal Medicine. We can now do ultrasounds at each of my office visits to monitor her growth with the 2 vessel cord.

Yesterday afternoon we had our monthly appointment with my OB. She is really happy with our progress and Peanut's growth. I was thrilled to see I've only gained 7 lbs.! I'm eating like a horse, but this making a person stuff uses a lot of energy. Our next visit and ultrasound will be January 20th.

Daddy's little girl kicks...literally

So I got to feel the baby kick for the first time this week, what a difference.  It seemed that she was something in the far distance and would be here when she gets here.  Well that has all changed now, she IS here.  It's a very special thing that I was not expecting, I can't really describe it but it's kind of like growing up in a way.  It becomes real.  I know that sounds funny but there it is.  My daughter is on the way and I can't wait to meet her.  Love to you all.

Don

drum roll please.............

At our last ultrasound appointment we found our Peanut is a GIRL! We would have been thrilled either way, but it is fun to know. She is measuring right on track for growth and development. We have another ultrasound scheduled for December 22nd. We have a single artery umbilical chord (normal is 1 vein, 2 arteries. ours is 1 vein, 1 artery.) We are not getting alarmed, we just have to watch her closely to be certain she continues to grow and develop on schedule. So, we will be having an ultrasound at just about every check-up. Should we see that she is not growing at the rate she should, we will all consult and decide if she would be better on the outside in the NICU. But, we are hopeful that our little miracle will continue to amaze us all.

Please keep your fingers crossed and send positive thoughts for Don's job hunt. There is an opening at Benaroya Hall that Don is perfectly qualified for, would challenge him, use his talents to their fullest, and it would be a step up from what he had been doing. The union rep is going to hand delivering Don's resume and show list to the team at Benaroya on Thursday.

Well, I got rid of the nausea, but my IC (bladder disease) has spiked. So much so that I have puzzled my urologist. He's not encountered another patient like me. He's thrilled and up for the challenge, I'm not so happy about being a guinea pig! We are trying all kinds of treatments, but so far nothing is working. I'll be seeing a physical therapist on the 22nd in hopes that she will be able to help calm the pelvic floor muscles that are in constant spasm due to the bladder irritation. I'll keep you posted. Luckily, the IC does not affect Peanut or my uterus.

Be well,

~Barba

A turning point...

YEAH!  I've gone 1 whole week without feeling nauseous.  Just as everyone one said it would, the symptom lifted magically last Friday as we hit the 16 week mark.  I am so thankful.  I'm hoping the exhaustion lifts as well.  

We are now 17 weeks along.  Peanut weighs about 5 oz and is about 5 inches long from head to bum.  (about the size of a turnip.)  My belly is popping out more and more, but I've still only gained a few pounds.  We are getting excited for the next ultrasound on the 24th.  We are hoping to find out if Peanut is a girl or a boy.

A few of you know I've taken up knitting.  (Thanks, Meg!!)  I was getting the hang of things and was really on a roll until I had a mishap this week with a paper cutter.  I'm fine.  I sliced my left thumb at the first knuckle pretty good.  Nothing 3 1/2 hours in the ER can't put back together.  (Yes, there are perks working for a hospital.  But speedy service in the ER is not one of them.)  They Dermabonded my laceration and splinted it for a few days so I don't split it open again.  The Dermabond will help protect the site from infection much better than a butterfly or even stitches would have.  The bonus, any pregnant woman who presents in the ER can't be released without a fetal heart tone.  SO, I got to hear Peanut's little heart this week.  A strong, normal 152 beats per minute.  I checked in with Occ. Health today.  I'm healing so well the Dr. let me take the splint off.  Now I can get back to knitting.  

Love to you all, 

~B

Our ultrasound from 2 weeks ago... soon to be posted, I'm having trouble converting the file. During this ultrasound, at 12 weeks, Peanut was right on track for growth and measuring about the size of a lime. Now that we are 14 weeks, Peanut is about the size of a lemon. We had a doctors appointment last Thursday; all is good. Statistically, our chances of a Down syndrome baby are much less than they 'typical' 38 year old woman. We'll have a second blood test next week. The baby's heart rate was 150 beats/min. Our next ultrasound and appointment with the doctor is Nov. 24th. We are hoping to find out if Peanut is a boy or a girl at that time.

I'm still nauseous and tired, but it is a bit better. My worst time seems to be afternoon through night. So I'm a little more productive at work these days.

Love you all,

~Barba

Hi all. Today Peanut is at 12 weeks gestation. The nausea and fatigue did not magically lift - I'm a little bummed. I get to stop taking the progesterone next Thursday. That should help. I'll try to have Don take a photo this weekend and post so you can see my baby bump. Peanut has really popped out. But, I'm still not able to wear maternity pants. I'm hanging on with the rubber bands and elastic waists :)

I've been a little slow on the updates. On September 30th we got crushing news. After 15 years with the Village Theatre, they let Don go. They said they are 'going in a different direction'. (Whatever that means!) We had absolutely no warning. Just 3 weeks prior, Don had his review and was given a nice raise. They asked him to run the Saturday night shows so he would be there for the big night of the week. Don is now in the process of networking; contacting anyone we know with connections in any area that my need a phenomenal sound designer and technician. He's looking at live sound, multimedia and gaming, and audio installation. If you know of anything email him at don_littrell@excite.com.

Thanks for all of your love and support. More to come soon, I promise! ~Barba