29 weeks

What a nice birthday gift today has been already! I had a check-up with Dr. McK this morning and was in and out of the office in less than an hour. Elijah was cooperative and we heard that steady heartbeat, complete with kicks of enthusiasm from him. :-) It's hard to believe that at 29 weeks, our sweet Isaac was born. I'm so thankful that I'm not in labor right now. Though Isaac was a fighter and did amazingly well to be 11 weeks early, that is just too soon to enter the world, and has made his life complicated at times. We have lots to be thankful for!

Dr. McK was happy to hear Disney went so well, and we chatted for a while about that. We discussed a few other things too. One was the possibility of a c-section looking more possible (he gave me a 70% chance of having one due to the placenta not shifting yet, though it's still possible). I'm still hopeful, but not in despair or anything if we have to do surgery. Reading up on placenta previa and realizing the profuse bleeding and scary issues that happen when a mom goes into labor sure make me want to avoid that. It's so risky for the mom and baby, so I am glad we have technology to help us be aware of these situations today.

As he measured me and felt around on my belly for E, I asked him to show me how to tell what was what. He took my fingers and lightly pressed down on the top of my abdomen, and said when I felt the bouncing back, that was the head. Then, the bottom feels "doughy", and gives in a little, instead of bouncing back like the head. Right now, Elijah is still breech, which is not uncommon at this stage of the pregnancy. That explains why I felt like a foot was stabbing me last night, really low. It was! He said he can still turn to get in position, but it's harder with the placenta in the way, and with his increasing size.

A little concern is that he shared he's never had a lady get pregnant with an ovarian remnant and also have placenta previa, resulting in a c-section, so he said that will just be something he has to carefully consider if we end up going the surgical route. (Some of you may remember that this remnant was found months ago before I was pregnant, growing where my left ovary was removed 11 years ago. We left it alone, because it wasn't changing over several months that we watched it and wasn't causing any problem, so neither of us wanted to do a surgery just for it.) His word to describe the c-section with placenta previa and the additional factor of removing this remnant is "grungy." :-) He said a uterine polyp or tumor would be simpler to handle, since he obviously would be there in the uterus anyway. Getting over to the ovary area and removing that during the bleeding that happens in a normal c-section is just more complicated. Right now we can't even see it any longer during sonograms, due to Elijah's size, so don't know what exactly is going on with it. It's not a major problem, just something he wanted me to know he remembered (I'd totally forgotten about it), and that we'd talk more about it as things progress.

For now, he put me on additional iron supplements, since I was borderline anemic with my last visit's bloodwork, and plus, he said anticipating the possible surgery, he wants me to "tank up." I realize more and more every visit how much I appreciate this man for his sensitive manner, and godly wisdom. James and I both are so impressed with the care he's given us for 6 years now, and it's so nice to really trust that he is seriously praying for us, and the best way to provide care for me. It gives me a lot of peace of mind, and I can happily anticipate each visit, knowing his heart, and his attention to details. What a blessing.

I'll go back in 2 more weeks, and then the next visit after that, probably at 33 weeks will be the final ultrasound to determine the delivery plan. Thank you all for praying! God is so good.

28 weeks

It's been an exciting 28th week, as we just returned from a big family vacation. We haven' t been on a vacation in over 3 years, so really enjoyed the adventure of Walt Disney World with my parents and brother. We spent 5 days in the "happiest place on earth" and it was a really happy week. Elijah seemed to enjoy it just fine, though he didn't see any great attractions, he did respond to hearing and feeling them, with some vigorous movement at times. The return flight home really got him going. :-)

Thankfully, I was able to enjoy the trip, despite the heat that was draining on all of us, since we walked miles and miles each day. My feet, however, did not seem to enjoy it as much. The below pictures are not of an elephant, but actually my own pitiful swollen toes and ankles. They're still pretty painful, and the skin just feels stretched to its limit. Hopefully they'll return to a somewhat normal size eventually. Right now, they're pretty ugly and embarrassing, not to mention numb and achey at the same time, if that makes any sense. I am very grateful that I had hardly any back pain all week, which has been an issue for me for years, and only one hour of Braxton-Hicks contractions. I consider those major blessings and answers to prayer!

This Wednesday is my birthday and I will have a doctor's appointment that day to see how things are going. I'll update you after that! I'm looking forward to some cool weather moving in just in time for a birthday gift too. YEA!!

27 weeks, and a sonogram

We were so happy to be able to see our not-so-little pumpkin today, via the wonder of technology and sonogram. Here's a profile view of him, when his hands actually were not covering his face. He's about to move them right in front again though. :-)

After last week's appointment, Dr. McK wanted to get an updated view of the placenta and our baby boy this week. We happily complied, since we're eager to see him again, and also wanting to have recent info to take with us on our trip next week to Disney World, just in case anything crazy happened.

Libby, the wonderful tech who also did the big ultrasound in August, was there again, and took her time doing more measuring and detailed viewing. She noticed hair on his head, and loved how active he was, saying, "He hasn't stopped moving the whole time!" I laughed, and said, "No kidding!" He is a busy boy, and kept putting his hands near his mouth, and almost had a toe in there at one point. He looks so sweet and cozy. Isaac and Abigail both just loved seeing him again.

The update on the placenta previa is that it really hasn't changed. She said the placenta is still sitting on my cervix, but it's not inhibiting Elijah's growth any. I commented on how much chubbier his cheeks looked this time, and she replied, "Uh, yeah." I glanced at her, and she smiled and said, "Yes, he's growing just fine...he weighs about 3 pounds, 8 ounces." I said, "The email updates I get said he should be just over 2 pounds!" She said, "Right. He's measuring several weeks ahead." All along we've been told he was, but didn't have any measurements or details. I'm 27 weeks, 2 days, and Elijah is measuring between 29-31 weeks in different areas. His abdominal circumference placed him in the "greater than 98 percentile" and his head was 88% and femurs measured 98%. I asked her how accurate those measurements can be, and she said they are pretty reliable, since she took them multiple times each, from different angles, and the program generates the average.

So, based on today's information, the adjusted due date based on his physical development alone is more like December 21, instead of my actual due date of January 8. We know all this is just interesting at this point, and just encourages us that he's healthy and thriving, but may help us know later on what needs to happen about delivery if the placenta stays where it is. It's still too early to know what is best regarding a c-section or not, and there is time for the placenta to move, since there are cases that it does finally resolve by the 34 week check-up. So, we're just content knowing that things are fine for now, and will wait and see.

My biggest hope is that however he's delivered, if it is safe for him, and he's developed enough, that God would allow Elijah to be born in time for our precious friends Scott, Robin, and their family to meet him while they are here from Richmond. They are coming in on the 19th of December, and leaving the 24th, so I'm just praying God knows our hearts and deep desire to visit with ALL of our kids during the holidays and that He can work it out if He sees fit! I know He cares about our little desires and this is a pretty big one, so I'm praying specifically, and trusting that He'll do what's best. Either way, we are getting very excited about seeing far-away friends, and welcoming our sweet son before too much longer!

Check out his cute self here:
Lean your head to the right, and you're seeing him at the correct angle. He's curled up, with his hands up by his face. Sweet, sweet! This is the chubby cheek picture. :-) Next are the Tubbs' toes. Look at that big toe sticking out!

3 months from today...

is Elijah's due date! Wow!

Nice to meet you, too!

Here's the transcript of a nice conversation from last night. (Name changed to protect the innocent.)

P - "Hi, I don't think we've met....I'm Penelope."
Me - "Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Jennifer."
P - "So, when is your baby due?"
Me - "January 8."
P, looking absolutely astonished - "Wow! Are you sure it's not TWINS?!"
Me, glancing at my belly - "Ummm... yes..."

No, my feelings weren't hurt, but my sweet friend Jamie tried to take up for me, since I was too shocked to say much in response. She said something about my carrying so much of the weight right in my belly, and the lady just kinda drifted away. I enjoyed sharing the story all night, because it amazed me how bold this complete stranger was. Aren't people funny? Jamie said if the lady hadn't been wearing an Auburn shirt, she would've decked her for me. :-)

2/3 of the way there!

This morning I had another great doctor appointment. I did the fun glucose test also, and the results of it were great, so I'm so happy to have that behind me. That stuff tastes awful. Dr. McK gave me an overall good report, saying my weight gain was fine and he was pleased with how I seemed to be doing. We asked if he had any concerns about our Disney trip coming up in a week and a half and he said he felt that I was doing fine, so had no qualms about our flying or the busyness of the week. He suggested that I go get a follow-up ultrasound next week to check the placenta previa since it would be good to know what we're dealing with before traveling. He doesn't expect any problems though, even if it hasn't resolved itself. If it hasn't resolved by then, we'll check it again closer to the due date, and see what we're dealing with. It was nice to be reassured, and we're really looking forward to the trip with my family.

26 weeks

It's just a baby boom in our family! My cousin Tara had her little girl, Cate, last Tuesday, and she joins Emerson and Casey who were born in August and September to my cousins Todd and Tucker and their wives. We're so excited to have all these little ones in the Tubbs/Veazey families. They are beautiful and healthy, so we are so grateful. We can hardly wait for Elijah to meet his cousins! We're under 100 days till our due date! In order above they are: Emerson, then Cate, then Casey.

Our little pumpkin is growing, and this week, the email update I get said that his eyes are really starting to open. I guess he is bored with the mostly dark environment he's in, but it's neat to think of another awesome development happening. Here's the info:

Your baby's eyes — which have been closed for the past few months (so that the retina, the part of the eye that allows images to come into focus, could develop) — are now beginning to open. What this means is that your baby is able to see what's going on now (unfortunately the view in your uterus isn't all that exciting). The iris, the colored part of the eye, still doesn't have much pigmentation (that'll fill in over the next month or two), so it's too early to start guessing your baby's eye color. Even the color your baby will be born with might not be the permanent shade; so you may be kept guessing until your baby is close to six months old.

Look what else is going on this week: Your baby's brain-wave activity is kicking in, which means your little one can not only hear noises but can now also respond to them. Not in so many words, of course, but with an increase in pulse rate or activity.

And talking about activity, at your baby's current height and weight (about nine inches tall and two pounds), and at the rate he or she is growing, your baby will soon be feeling a little cramped in your uterus. Not to worry, there's still plenty of room for your baby to grow. It just means your gymnast will have less room for those somersaults, cartwheels, and other Olympic feats.