Life isn't good, it's excellent!

I went for my 26 week check up and ultrasound last Wednesday. The point of the u/s was to confirm the previa and see how bad the accreta looking. I had zero expectations of it moving but I'm thrilled to announce I was WRONG!. Amazingly, the previa moved - it's 2 cm from the cervix and I'M IN THE CLEAR! She didn't see any immediate signs of the accreta but Dr Hannon is still being cautious. I have another u/s at 31 weeks and probably an MRI. I think we're doing a c-section at 39 weeks and we're still going in as it may be a hysterectomy. I still have all the pre-term labor stuff going on but realistically I can manage it now as it won't lead to hemorrhage as it could have before.

I feel like a thousand pounds have been lifted off my shoulders. That night, I came home and rough housed w/ Piper for about an hour - I feel like I haven't been able to do that b/c I've been so scared of a big bleed. We read books and as we lay in her bed I started to get weepy. She kissed my belly and said "baby" and then she did something she's never done - she touched my eye (where I was crying) and then leaned in and hugged me. She's NOT a huggy kid at all. I lost it. It gets cuter - when I was getting ready to put her in the crib, I was thinking about how lucky I am to have her and a healthy baby and I realized that I was holding my whole world in my arms and body. I got choked up - she suddenly pulls back, touches my eye again and throws her arms around my neck. I start bawling - I'm so overwhelmed with love and relief. And it blows my mind that she can read me. I NEVER cry - but she knew exactly what I needed. How did I get so lucky? I'm so glad I'm going to be around for that little lady and the new one on the way....and that I can enjoy every day I have with her as an only child vs being tied to my bed. If God decides that I shouldn't have any more kids, so be it - I think I hit the jackpot with these two.

As for the baby bean - he/she is looking fantastic. 2 lbs 5 oz (69% percentile) and I'm measuring a week to two weeks ahead. Everything about the baby was perfect and healthy. :) Keep cooking little bean - I can't wait to see you and hug you in June!

Things you like...

Hi wee one - It's the middle/end of February and you're going to be here in no time! I'm sure you're busy and snug in there, but I thought I'd tell you a little about what I know about you. The last three weeks you've been growing like crazy - both in abilities and girth.

Physically, I'm pretty sure you've mastered the back flip and spend between 9 am - 10 am (post Latte) and 8:30 pm -10:30 pm practicing. You are active throughout the day but love to make your presence known daily like clockwork. I'm glad you still have room to run around in there. :) You've also made your mom hungry like a lumberjack and craving all sorts of weird things. I've been out eating your dad - which amazes him and me.

Your favorite foods have been all of the sugary sweet variety - not a norm for your mom. You love donuts (as does your sister), ice cream, cookies, sugary cereal (Banana Nut Cheerios) and chocolate. Valentine's Day was a smorgasbord of delight for you - you kicked in appreciation every time I ate a candy heart. :) When you're not demanding sweets - you're asking for Italian food. Lasagna, all pastas, olive oil, vinegar, and last night, garlicky bruscetta. Your final love is watered down lemonade - I think we could drink 2 gallons a day if it were available.

The only thing you seem to dislike is seafood - I can't even look at it as much as I normally love it. I have a feeling that will change.

Today you are 24w and 4d and growing bigger and stronger every day. We find out in a week and a half when you're arriving. Keep cooking sweeting - I want you nice, plump and healthy when you get here.

Love,

Your peckish mom

You're my Cuppycake

This might be the most sickly sweet song ever and I love it. Little bean and Piper - this one is for you:
You're my Honeybunch, Sugarplum
Pumpy-umpy-umpkin, You're my Sweetie Pie
You're my Cuppycake, Gumdrop
Snoogums-Boogums, You're the Apple of my Eye
And I love you so and I want you to know
That I'll always be right here
And I love to sing sweet songs to you
Because you are so dear
*by Judianna Castle

http://www.cuppycake.com/videos.html

Half way there....20w today!

20w today! Technically we're half way there although baby will make a debut before then. :) According to babycenter, here is where wee one is developmentally:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

Grow baby grow - keep baking! I love you and want you nice and plump. See you soon.

Love,

Mommy

19w 2d and a wee bit of drama

We had our big ultrasound on Tuesday! This wee one is like a Mexican jumping bean and was using my uterus as a spring board. The poor tech could barely get the pictures she needed. Piper wasn't nearly as active and I am a little nervous about when I can start to really feel all that activity. Good news is the baby is very healthy, very active and right on, if not a little ahead, of schedule.

At the end of the appointment, the tech reviews everything with the Doctor while we wait in the room. The Doctor comes back in and indicates I should lay back down - I know at this point something is wrong. She zooms in, not on the baby, but on the placenta. The unfun news - they look at lots of things during the ultrasound including the placenta. I have a history of accreta so I asked them to be on the lookout for any signs. Well - not only did they find indicators for accreta (nothing concrete though) but I have Complete Placenta Previa. Damn and double damn. From what little I know at this point of CPP, this is not good for a few reasons 1) it's a pretty strong indicator that I'll have accreta again, 2) CPP puts mom at risk for pre-term labor and 3) it's an automatic c-section.

We head over to Dr. Hannon after our u/s and at this point I just want to know what it all means. Dr H indicates that I will most likely be going on bedrest at 28 weeks and after telling her of all my contractions, she tells me to slow down and prepare for a modified work schedule. UGH. A billion things are going through my head and I leave w/o asking many questions. At this point, I'm trying to plan for discussing with my boss, figuring out what childcare would look like, how we could afford for me to take time off and god forbid, what if I deliver a baby early.

So - now we wait. I'm having contractions and have been home from work for the last two days with a combo stomach bug. I'm actually heading into the doctor right now to make sure everything is ok.

I'm sure this little bean would like to cook a little longer and I'll do everything I can to make sure he/she does.

Noooooooooo!!!

Piper is learning to talk and it's too cute. After a week with her cousins she picked up a ton of new words and mannerisms. My absolute favorite is her declaration of "Nooooooooooooo!!" which sounds super dramatic like she's a forlorn starlet being torn from her beau. It's hilarious and so incredibly cute.

Weather vs Holiday plans....weather wins. :(

OK - that's probably a little over-dramatic. It's not my worst nightmare - I have much worse that involve blood, crashing etc. However, last night was a doozy. My DD and I were flying to Chicago to see my family. I had actually changed my flight earlier in the week to a day earlier because of a pending ice storm in Seattle, so I thought we were going to be fine. I was very lucky to secure two first class seats (lucky baby!) and was prepared for a long, uneventful flight. Well, as we were leaving the house around 4 PM, it started to flurry...I had a bad feeling. We got to the airport, went through security easily and i headed to the gate. While I was in the airport, they switched the gate THREE times and not just little switches like C12 to C4, but entire terminals. UGH. So we schlep over to the N terminal, I secure some food for my daughter and we snack before the flight. I planned this flight b/c it' coincides with her bedtime - I was very optimistic she'd sleep the whole flight leaving me is silent bliss. Well...you know what they say about the best laid plans.
We got on the flight a little bit late and got settled. Family after family passed us so I was warmed to know there were a few babies on the flight including one other in first class. The snow was dumping at this point and the wind had picked up to about 30-40 miles an hour. Everyone got on the flight and we weren't' going anywhere. DD has limited patience for immobility, so it was starting to get frustrating for her, me and everyone around us. They had to de-ice the plane and that took about 30 min. We FINALLY pushed back from the gate about 1.5 hrs after scheduled take off and I called my folks to let them know. They were planning to pick me up in Chicago at 11:30 PM which made me feel bad, so this made me feel worse - they were going to be there at 1:00 AM! We get out to the runway and are in queue. The pilot sends back the first mate to check the wings for ice before we take off. Of course, we need more de-icer - so back to the terminal. They can't find a working gate so they park near one that doesn't work. Long story short, they de-ice teh plan and then 5 min later cancel the flight. As we were at a non-functioning gate, they had to bring up stairs and all of us had to descend from the back of the plane down VERY VERY slippery stairs, walk across the tarmac to the jet way and up some more VERY VERY slippery stairs. Thank god there were kind people that helped me carry things b/c we had the car seat, diaper bag, another bag...oh yeah the baby AND I'm pregnant.
There was a very kind woman (Pamela) who let me use her phone and I found out that I'd already been rebooked. I still headed into the terminal to get my bag, call my husband and check on my ticket. While waiting in line I saw so many moms and babies. One gal had a 2 month old and this other gal (Alissa) had a 10 month old - she happened to be the same gal from my flight! I felt so awful b/c she was separated from her husband who was stuck in Juneau with their three year old and she had no idea what she was going to do. I invited her and her son back to our house for the night and they stayed with us. We actually had a nice time and she was reunited with her husband and daughter this afternoon. Unfortunately, I just heard that all Alaska Air flights were cancelled again - I hope they either found their way home or a hotel room!

Well - what's the moral of the story? There are some very nice people in the world - nothing like a humbling experience to bring people together. A personal thanks to all the kind people who helped me with bags or offered to hold Piper in case my arms were tired. :) It makes me want to be a nicer person.