Level 2 Ultrasound Results

YAY!!!!!!!

We are excited to announce the results of Baby O's level 2 ultrasound are wonderful! The Choroid Plexus Cysts (CPCs) that they found bilaterally in Baby O's brain are already resolving themselves. The left side is completely clear and there is just a small amount of fluid on the right side that is disapating.They also moved my due date....AGAIN! Started out at June 1st, then moved to June 6th, then June 3rd at last ultrasound and now back up to May 31st. So...I'm 21 weeks instead of 20 weeks right now.  Here are some pictures from the ultrasound. They aren't as clear as our other ones but they had to zoom in so close to see all of his little organs and limbs. I wish we would have gotten all of the pictures, but they only gave us a few. Here they are!

Baby O's little heart. If you look closely, you can see the 4 chambers. There were better pictures, but she used this one to check his fetal heart rate which was 139.

More pictures of Graysen's feet! They already look bigger than his 19 week ultrasound.

Hard to see, but this is Graysen's hand. You can see his fingers. The little hand is pointing to his 5th finger. They were looking for a Trisomy 18 marker...didn't find any!

Baby's face. It's turned to the side so you may have to tilt your head to the right to see it.

Graysen's face again! This time his mouth is open. We did get to see the lenses in his eyes too. Hard to see in these pictures, but that's neat! He really wanted that left hand by his face too! Stubborn little turd...we were trying to see if his fist was clenched (that is another marker) and he wouldn't move the darn thing or he would wave it quickly and all we would see what a blur. We finally found it incidentally!

Profile picture from the left side. Again..wanted his fingers in his mouth or up by his face.

Profile from the left again. Our other images are clearer but like I said, he would not stop moving today so some of them are a little blurry!

One last profile from the left side.

Toilet shot to see Femurs and show once again..It's a BOY!

Profile from the right side. Again...sorry it's blurry.

Here is a better profile picture from the right side.

After talking to the Dr. today, we are very pleased with the results. We could go back in 5 weeks for another ultrasound to make sure that everything has cleared up but by the way everything else looked, we are opting not to have one. If they had found other markers for Trisomy 18, we would maybe think about it. At this point, they have found nothing and even if they had...it wasn't going to change anything with the pregnancy. We are very thankful to have things turn out the way they did and by the way he's constantly moving and already acting stubborn...I think we are going to have our hands full!

20 Weeks and Gender Reveal Party!

Wow...20 weeks! Half way there!!!

I know I haven't posted anything for awhile. Things have been crazy here. After our 19 week ultrasound, we found out that our baby has Choroid Plexus Cysts on the brain. Most of the time, they just clear themselves up by 32 weeks. Sometimes, in rare cases, they are isolated and related to some other chromosomal disorder like Trimosy 18. This is a slight risk, but we have to have it checked. We are certain though that our baby is fighter and that everything will be ok! We go to Mayo Clinic on Friday to have a Type 2 ultrasound and genetic counseling. We will know by the end of the day on Friday if they are isolated or not.

We live by this quote: "If we're handed it...We can handle it!"

Gender Reveal Party Details!

We had our Gender Reveal Party on Saturday. It was great. It was so fun to see everyone's votes and reveal the sex and name of the baby. Here are a few snapshots of the party.

We had a big box filled with balloons that we released to tell the sex of the baby.

Next to the box, we had all of our ultrasound pictures laid out so that people could look and cast their vote. Boy or Girl??? It ended up pretty even. Most of the people there voted Boy but some people that couldn't make it still wanted to vote and most of them voted Girl.

19 week ultrasound pictures of Baby O.

17 Week pictures. These were taken the day I had to have an ultrasound on my Gallbladder and Kidneys because they are pretty sure I passed a kidney stone. No gallstones or kidney stones showed up in the ultrasound so they are thinking I had already passed it. Either way...worst pain of my life!! Plus side: Got to see a little preview of Baby O. before our 19 week ultrasound.

Basically same pictures as 17 week ultrasound but 2 weeks later and what a difference in development. The top picture is hard to see but Baby O. is flexing saying, "I'm a fighter and I'll make it!!"

The bottom picture didn't come out very clear but these are Baby O's little feet. So adorable!

What are you craving?? All of the food at the party was based on my pregnancy cravings.

He/She Cookie's & Creme Candy Bars. I'm loving everything cookies and cream!

There were Cinnamon Roll Bites (biggest craving as you know), Cheetos, Pigs in a Blanket, Auntie Anne's Pretzel Bites (I drove 45 minutes to Rochester to get one of these pretzels towards the beginning of my pregnancy...sad I know!), Pickle Roll Ups (Not a craving of mine because I hate pickles and can't have ham, but pickles are a stereotypical pregnancy craving.), Hot Turkey Sandwiches, Cinnamon Bread with Cream Cheese and Cake!

Better Than SEX Cake!! What other kind of cake would you have at a Gender Reveal Party??

My aunts voting Boy or Girl...

Our party goers mingling and waiting for the big reveal!!!

Tim, Aaron and Devin probably talking basketball!

Terisa and Marit most likely laughing at the guys...

The proud grandpas waiting to hear...Boy or Girl. Notice how they both voted BOY!

I tried very hard to upload the video of us opening the box and releasing the balloons here but...it did not download dispite the 4 attempts I made. So...you'll just have to scroll down to see the picture!

It's a................

The proud grandpas again showing us that...they were right! It's a BOY! We are pleased to announce that Baby O. is a boy and will be named Graysen Harold!

How Far Along: 20 Weeks and 3 Days

Total Weight Gain: 14-16lbs
Milestones: Baby now has working tastebuds and practicing gulping (amniotic fluid right now) 
Baby Is The Size Of: a Small Cantaloupe
Sleep:So, my LeachCo Back & Belly pillow came and it is AMAZING!!!!!!!! If you don't have one...you NEED one. It doesn't matter if you are pregnant or not! It's wonderful! Of course, it does take up a lot of the bed. Good thing we have a new king-sized bed coming this week with our wedding money. No leg cramps since I got the pillow either. They aren't really cramps but pain in my hip and side of my knee. Mainly the left leg. I think it's from pressure on them with extra weight.

Best Moment This Week: Getting to tell our family and friends that Baby O. is a BOY!

Miss Anything?: Coffee and Lunch Meat STILL!! Sleeping on my back! 

Movement?: YES! All the time. I said a few weeks ago that I swore he was doing somersaults...well...I was right. We saw it on the ultrasound with our own eyes. The ultrasound tech had to "chase" him around my belly because he moves so much. I think I also said he was going to be a UFC fighter if he was a boy...again...witnessed the punches and kicks. I think Tim and I are in for a wild ride with this one!

Food Cravings: Toast with cream cheese, Auntie Anne's pretzels, Lunch Meat, Ice Cream...cookies & cream, peppermint, you name it!! Cinnamon anything! Cinnamon Rolls, Cinnabon Cereal, etc.

Things That Make Me Queasy: Raw meat, Onions, Pledge, Our dog's smelly gas!

Gender: BOY

Labor Signs: No.

Symptoms: Well, my belly is getting bigger by the minute I think. I am also having heartburn and indigestion. I wish my hair and nails would start looking better though. I though having a boy meant..."Never looked better!" Apparently not in all cases! I can't complain though because my symptoms have been fairly minimal since starting my second trimester. I am very short though (5 feet) and have a short torso. I am all belly and there is no where for it to go. My ribs, especially on the right side, feel like they are in my throat already! He is also breech right now so his head is pushing on my ribs.

Inny or Outy: Belly Button is getting flatter but still in slightly.

Wedding Band On or Off: On
Mood Most Of The Time: HAPPY though very tired lately and have some stress with other things going on. I haven't gotten a lot of sleep so my patience isn't quite as long as it used to be.
Looking Forward To: Our appointment at Mayo on Friday where we will have a Type 2 ultrasound and find out if the baby's brain cysts are isolated or not. Even though it's crappy that we have to go through this, we will get a video of the utlrasound instead of just a picture!

Cini-Mini CRAVING!!!!!!!!

My biggest craving...CINI-MINIS!!!

Ok, I LOVE cinnamon rolls and right now, I'm craving everything sweet. Not so much chocolate, but I don't really like chocolate when I'm not pregnant. I know...weird! A woman who doesn't really care for chocolate. Lately though, I'm craving sweet! Cinnamon rolls, pancakes and syrup, ice cream, mini donuts...donuts WITH ice cream! (By the way, the best place to get this is in Grand Marais, MN. Go to World's Best Donuts first thing in the morning and get a fresh raised glazed and then go down the street and get a scoop of homemade custard on the boardwalk! Oh...I'm contemplating the 7 hour drive just to get one!!) Here is the latest Cini-Mini recipe I'm trying tonight. I'm pretty sure they are going to be to die for!

Recipe:

Ingredients

1 can of Pillsbury crescent rolls

4 T brown sugar

1 t cinnamon

1 T butter

1 T flour

1/2 C powdered sugar

2 t milk

Directions:

Use half of package at a time so the dough stays cold.

In a small bowl mix together a tablespoon of slightly melted butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and flour. Open crescent rolls, take half of dough and separate at the vertical seams. Press the diagonal seams of dough together so that the dough is smooth. Spoon half of the cinnamon mixture onto dough, roll short side up then continue with the remainding dough. (I used one sheet of Pillsbury Crescent Dough...no seams. Worked Wonderfully!) Cut 2 inch slices and place all the rolls on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

When rolls have cooled, mix powdered sugar with  milk. Add more sugar/milk to get frosting to the consistency of your liking.I had to add more sugar. Drizzle the sugar over the rolls then let dry. (I couldn't wait and wanted to eat mine warm so I drizzled the glaze over them as soon as they came out of the oven.) AMAZING!!!!!!

Happy Eating!!!

18 Weeks!

How Far Along: 18 Weeks
Total Weight Gain: 14lbs or so
Milestones: Baby is kicking like a UFC fighter and practicing sucking.
Baby Is The Size Of: a Sweet Potato
Sleep:My Leachco Back & Belly Pillow is on the way!!! I'm so excited! This should mean better sleep. Sleep has not been horrible but it's so hard to find a comfortable position that doesn't make my hips & knees hurt. Hopefully it will fit on our bed!!! :)
Best Moment This Week: Ordering my pregnancy pillow and continually feeling Baby Ostrom practicing kicks, punches and what feels like elbow smashes!! I think the baby thinks its a cage fighter and my uterus is the cage!!
Miss Anything?: Coffee and Lunch Meat STILL!! Sleeping on my back! 
Movement?: YES! All the time. Sometimes it's faint and other times I swear it's doing somersaults in there!
Food Cravings: Toast with cream cheese, Auntie Anne's pretzels, Lunch Meat, Ice Cream...cookies & cream, peppermint, you name it!! I was on Pinerest the other day and I think I pinned 5 recipes for cinnamon rolls!! Dang it...now I really want a cinnamon roll!
Things That Make Me Queasy: Still the smell of raw meat! Tim was using Pledge the other day and I thought I was going to vomit, the smell was so strong. (At least he was cleaning so...I'm not going to complain too much!) I also went to my Mother-In-Law's to get leftover Ribs/Saurkraut from New Year's Day for Tim and yep...there was another queasy-inducing smell!
Gender Prediction: Girl
Labor Signs: No.
Symptoms: Had a lot of indigestion this week. Not so much heartburn but burping up acid. I'm getting some leg cramps at night despite the large amounts of water I'm drinking and the bananas. Hopefully this new pillow will help. My belly has "popped" as my friends tell me this week also. Looks more like a "baby belly" and less like a "beer belly"! Although...my friend, Tonya, just informed me today that the phrase "baby belly" has been outlawed now at Michigan's Lake Superior State University from the Queen's English for its misuse, overuse and general uselessness! Huh...I'm still going to call it a baby bump!
Inny or Outy: Belly Button is still in!
Wedding Band On or Off: On
Mood Most Of The Time: HAPPY!
Looking Forward To: Finding out if it's a he or a she in ONE WEEK and having our Gender Reveal Party for our friends/family!

He? She? Open to see!

We are so excited to find out boy or girl on January 10th. Only 11 days to wait now. We decided to have a Gender Reveal Party for our family and friends to let them know the sex and name of the baby. I will post picutres after the party. We are thinking of a sports theme and have Team Pink and Team Blue. The guests are supposed to wear pink or blue depending on which "team" they are rooting for. Here are a few wives tales and how they came out. You can decide for yourself what you think...

Old Wives Tale #1:

Heart rate over 140: Girl

Heart rate under 140: Boy

Baby's heart rate: 145-155 depending on the day...Girl

Old Wives Tale #2:

Tie your wedding ring to a string and hold it over your pregnant belly.

If the ring swings back and forth: Girl

If the ring spins in a circle: Boy

My ring swung back and forth: Girl

Old Wives Tale #3

Chinese Gender Chart (Supposedly 90% + accurate)

According to the chart: Girl

Old Wives Tale #4

Dad gaining weight too: Boy

Dad not gaining weight: Girl

Tim has been gaining weight as well: Boy

Old Wives Tale #5

Boy/Girl Gender quiz online answering various questions from

"Are your feet colder in pregnacy?" to "Does the hair on your legs grow faster?"

Answers came out: Girl

Old Wives Tale #6

Growing more hair like your leg hair: Boy

Growing same amount of hair: Girl

I guess my hair is growing a little faster: Boy

Old Wives Tale #7

Craving Sweet: Girl

Craving Sour: Boy

I have been craving toast with cream cheese and peppermint ice cream: Girl

Old Wives Tale #8

Morning sickness in the morning or not at all: Boy

Morning sickness all day or at night: Girl

I was sick (nauseas/car sick feeling) ALL DAY and especially at night: Girl

Old Wives Tale #9:

Acne

If you don't have very much acne or none at all: Boy

If your acne has gotten much worse: Girl

I unfortunately have been breaking out like a teenager in puberty!

I didn't even do that when I actually WAS going through puberty: Girl

Old Wives Tale #10

Sleep more on your left side: Boy

Sleep more on your right side: Girl

I usually sleep on my left side so...Boy

Old Wives Tale #11
Carrrying high: Girl
Carrying low: Boy
I am carrying pretty high: Girl

Those are the results!

You can make your own decision...

17 Weeks!

How Far Along: 17 Weeks
Total Weight Gain: 12lbs or so
Milestones: Baby is moving like crazy and can hear/recognize voices.
Baby Is The Size Of: an onion
Sleep:Still not the best sleep. Tim and I stayed in a hotel last night because I had an ultrasound appointment at 7:30 this morning in Rochester, which is an hour away. I slept better there. I think their bed was harder and it was also a king instead of a queen so the 6 pillows I had (literally) weren't in his way. No leg cramps last night either. That's a plus. Lately I've been having bad leg/hip cramps. Hoping the prenatal yoga/pilates will help. I really need to order an actual pregnancy pillow.
Best Moment This Week: I had an ultrasound to look for kidney or gall stones. Found no stones so that was a plus and convinced the ultrasound tech to print a picture of the baby for us even though that's not why I was there. We find out in 2 weeks if it's a boy or a girl!
Miss Anything?: Coffee and Lunch Meat STILL!! Sleeping on my back! 
Movement?: YES! December 17th I felt the first movement. Or...I knew it really was the baby. I think I had been feeling it before but was so faint that I wasn't sure. Definitely feeling the baby now though and it's amazing!
Food Cravings: Toast with cream cheese, Auntie Anne's pretzels, Coffee, Lunch Meat
Things That Make Me Queasy: Raw onions and red meat, especially meat that is in the fridge and you open the container...basically just the smell of meat!
Gender Prediction: Girl
Labor Signs: No.
Symptoms: Heartburn still and indigestion. I have also been having horrible gallbladder attacks which is why I had the ultrasound today. Didn't find anything so have to watch what I eat and eat small meals more often. Pregnancy wise though...feeling MUCH better. Occassional sinus headaches but Dr. said that was normal too!
Inny or Outy: Belly Button is still in!
Wedding Band On or Off: On
Mood Most Of The Time: HAPPY!
Looking Forward To: Finding out if it's a he or a she!

Happy Christmahannakwanzaakah!

Merry Christmas everyone! (and Happy Hanukkah and Kwanzaa!) AND...Happy 40th birthday to my wonderful husband Tim! He had our traditional Bloody Marys to celebrate. I watched! Our good friend and my "sister from another mister", Karin and her mom joined us along with my mom and dad. Karin is 30 on the 26th. Tim really liked his present. Aside from a baby on the way, I surprised him with cage fighting tickets at Treasure Island Casino. He and his cousin, Chuck can go while Chuck's wife Julie and I do something else. We also had a "surprise" breakfast at school for him yesterday where he was presented with 30 bottles of HOT SAUCE! His favorite condiment! He asks way too many questions so it wasn't a complete surprise! Oh well...it was a fun time anyway!
 I don't have a 16 week picture because this week has been CRAZY! Now that I'm already 16 weeks and 4 days, I'll probably just wait until 17 weeks to post a picture. This week was filled with lots of excitement. I'm feeling the baby kick more and more but...also had 3 horrible gallbladder attacks and have to go in for an ultrasound on Tuesday to look for gall stones or kidney stones. :( The doctor said it could be the baby putting pressure on the tube and twisting it so it catches, but she thinks more towards the area of a stone! Whatever it is...it was the WORST pain I've felt! Knocked me to the ground. Tim almost took me to the ER on Tuesday night. We'll have to wait until Tuesday to see what they find. Won't even get to see the baby at this ultrasound because it's a totally different kind/area.
We do have an ultrasound scheduled for January 10th though. The question will be....He? She? We'll look and see! Can't wait to see if it's a boy or a girl. We are leaning towards girl but who knows. The ultrasound tech will probably get annoyed with me/us because having a degree in early childhood development, I'll want to see the closed spine and palette! It's getting so much more real as my belly gets bigger (looking less and less beer bellyish) and the baby is moving more and more (or I can just feel it more and more). Happy Holidays everyone! I'll be back in a few days with photos.

15 Weeks!

How Far Along: 15 Weeks
Total Weight Gain: 10-11lbs
Milestones: Baby is squirming around and even hiccupping!
Baby Is The Size Of: a navel orange
Sleep:Not going so well. It's ok sleep (besides all the dreaming) until about 4am then I'm up peeing and don't fall back asleep. Hips hurt at night from having to sleep on my side all of the time. I miss sleeping on my stomach/back! I guess I need an actual pregnancy pillow instead of one between my legs, one behind me, one in front etc...
Best Moment This Week: Got Denise Austin's Pregnancy workout along with prenatal pilates. Can't wait to be one hot mamma!! :) I should probably use them...
Miss Anything?: Coffee and Lunch Meat STILL!! Sleeping on my back! 
Movement?: Not yet...though it's apparently happening a lot in there already!
Food Cravings: Toast, peppermint ice cream, cream cheese, a lot of carbs!
Things That Make Me Queasy: Raw onions and red meat, especially meat that is in the fridge and you open the container...basically just the smell of meat!
Gender Prediction: Girl
Labor Signs: No.
Symptoms: Heartburn, Stretching pains & Headaches...they were really bad this week. Had to miss work on Tuesday because of horrible headaches/congestion. The pressue was too much to deal with along with 23 kindergarteners for 8 hours! Stinks when you can't take anything either!
Inny or Outy: Belly Button is still in!
Wedding Band On or Off: On
Mood Most Of The Time: HAPPY!
Looking Forward To: Our next Dr. appointment tomorrow and scheduling our ultrasound!

Daily Pages

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87607106/single-the-laj-daily-page-notepad

  Here is the amazing Daily Pages Notepad that I won from my friend Dani's AWESOME blog http://www.lifes-a-journal.com/! Can't wait to start getting my life organized! Is it possible for a Kindergarten Teacher with ADD to be organized?? We'll find out!!

Crib and Bedding (MAYBE)

http://www.target.com/p/My-Baby-Sam-Paisley-Splash-in-Lime-4pc-Crib-Bedding-Set-Brown-Green/-/A-11574657#?lnk=sc_qi_detailimage

LOVE this bedding. Love the colors, patterns and everything about it. I think it could be used for a boy or a girl. Probably more for a girl, but the colors are gender-neutral and match the rest of our house. I love the retro print in modern colors! 

http://www.target.com/p/Delta-Eclipse-4-in-1-Convertible-Crib-Spiced-Cinnamon/-/A-13266671#?lnk=sc_qi_detailbutton

We decided on this crib because it is a crib, toddler bed, day bed or full sized bed all in one. It also matches the rest of the wood in our house. We like the craftsman/earthy style of it too! A little rustic meets modern. 

Nursery Ideas

These are some options that we are looking at for the nursery. The whole house is brown and green. We are thinking that is pretty gender neutral too. We are going to find out what we are having in a few weeks, but boy or girl, we are planning on doing green and brown. We love earthy/nature-inspried design so trees, leaves etc. are a must. We also want to incorporate owls somewhere into the nursery.The next step is cleaning out the room that will soon become the baby's room! That would be a good Christmas Break project. 

14 weeks!

How Far Along: 14 Weeks
Total Weight Gain: 9-101lbs
Milestones: Baby's sucking toes and fingers and kidneys are functioning.
Baby Is The Size Of: a lemon
Sleep:Still having crazy dreams but not getting up as much to pee. It's around 3:30am now. It's hard trying to find a comfortable position now though. It's hard to stay on your side all night even with a pillow behind you, between your legs....
Best Moment This Week: Continuing to listen to the heartbeat and making it to the 2nd trimester!!
Miss Anything?: Coffee and Lunch Meat STILL!! 
Movement?: Not yet...
Food Cravings: Still not very many cravings. If I do crave anything it's usually carbs like toast with butter.
Things That Make Me Queasy: ONIONS!
Gender Prediction: Girl
Labor Signs: No.
Symptoms: Headaches and heartburn. I'm really stuffed up and have been getting more bloody noses. Dr. says that's part of it. At least I'm not nauseaus ALL DAY LONG!
Inny or Outy: Belly Button is still in!
Wedding Band On or Off: On
Mood Most Of The Time: HAPPY!
Looking Forward To: Our next Dr. appointment on the 16th. I year ago on the 16th Tim proposed and now a year later, we are married and will be at the Dr. listening to our baby's heartbeat! :)