Pregnancy...Rolls Forward

June 16 marks 28 weeks and the third trimester! Baby is about 2 1/4 lbs (like a Chinese cabbage) and is roughly 14.8 inches. The pictures were taken a little early--the 14th--because I knew since I was on restricted activity I wouldn't be going anywhere all week and not be dressed. Spent the week in my pajamas, except for Monday and Tuesday when I had doctor appointments.
Always wonder what I look like from behind--if someone coming up from behind me can tell I'm a pregnant lady. That's why I took a random back shot.
June 14th I had my 4th appointment in Maternal Fetal Medicine with the perinataologist. It was the third time in a row I met with Dr. Jackson, which was a pleasant surprise since there are four doctors that rotate coming down to St. George. They started something new where they record the ultrasound and give you a DVD...I love that! Wish I had a recording of Porter's. When I asked they said they didn't have the equipment or capability to record them. So this was a pleasant surprise. I usually get 4-5 printed pictures from every ultrasound but this time I only got one. The technician thought she'd printed more but apparently didn't. She also tried to get a 3D picture of Caleb for us, but little guy wouldn't cooperate. He would face the wrong way or have something in front of his face. We even tried moving him by having me move this way and that, but to no avail. That technician was so fast--especially compared to the last one--which I found disappointing for the DVD. Anyway, Dr. Jackson had a note from Dr. Lunt to make sure we checked the cervix. Something was in the way (I'm guessing Caleb?) of getting a good picture of it in the ultrasound, so they said we needed to do a vaginal ultrasound. Oh joy. Just when I think I'll be able to leave an appointment without being violated. =P The great news is my cervix was perfect! Closed, long, and I think it was 4.5cm and they said a normal length is 2-3 cm, so they were pleased to see that. It meant there was no indication of labor and that's what we want to see. Dr. Jackson's opinion was that we could discount the results of the fFN test, but Dr. Lunt feels otherwise. When I asked again about an estimated delivery date Dr. J said at the latest we would go to 37 weeks and induce if he had not come by then. He said with the sensitization there is no reason to keep him in past 37 weeks to risk severe anemia. The velocity of the blood flow in Caleb's brain was 34 which is good. It's still low. According to measurements from the ultrasound Caleb was about 2 lbs 7 oz and right on target. When I asked Dr. J's opinion about being on restricted activity he felt there was no need. He said, "I think you can get up and walk around; if Dr. Lunt yells at you tell him I said so." I have decided to follow Dr. Lunt's advice and opinion however, since he is the one who knows me, knows my history, and sees me on a regular basis.
The chart is what we go by to see how severe the anemia is for the baby. They look at the velocity of the blood flow in the brain by Doppler ultrasound and the faster the flow the more anemic baby is. So far Caleb has been in zone D which is where we want him to be. Getting into a higher zone means being watch more closely and less time in between visits. If he were to plot in zone A that's intervention time meaning a blood transfusion or possibly early delivery. All depends on how severe it is, how far along we are, and how baby is doing. I almost forgot at one OB appointment Dr. Lunt told me I was a little anemic and needed to start taking iron pills with a stool softener. Wednesday June 22nd I had my OB prenatal appointment with Dr. Lunt which was a check up from the hospital stay as well as the routine visit. I told him Dr. J's reaction to the fFN test results and about not being worried; his response was he didn't have luxury of not worrying. True 'dat. He also said we would start weekly appointments/visits due to being high-risk, in addition to weekly progesterone injections. He said you usually start those earlier ( I think he said around 16-18 weeks?), but they would still be effective. One thing he talked about was how others (those in Maternal Fetal Medicine) were concentrating on the sensitization and forgetting preterm risk. I'm glad he's on top of something that was primarily overlooked. It was mentioned that we may start weekly cervix checks depending on what was going on with my body. I asked about being on restricted activity and he said at least another week and to "spend the majority of day sitting down off feet".
June 23rd we hit the 29 week mark. Baby is thought to be about 2.5 lbs--like a butternut squash--and is a tad over 15 inches. (picture 6/25)That evening a nurse from Dr. Lunt's office called and asked if I could come in the next day for the first progesterone injection. I was given the option to bring someone in with me who could be taught how to give me the injection or have it given to me in the office. I opted for them to do it in the office since I'd be in there every week anyway to be seen and checked. Besides, the only person I think I would want or trust to give me injections like that would be my sister Michelle, but for some reason she won't come out from Ohio to do it every week. =P That first injection didn't hurt was it was done until Monday...4 days later! Then it was sore ALL day and I could see a little bruise. Ouchie. Wednesday June 29th was the next OB appointment. I think it was the quickest appointment I've ever had there: I was in and out of there in 35 minutes. I usually don't even see the doctor by then. It was great! Either they were really on top of things or it was early enough in the morning to not be behind at all. He asked how I was, when the next perinatologist appointment was, listened to Caleb's heartbeat (128), and said he'd see me in a week. I asked about being on restricted activity and he said yes to continue that to be safe. So I can probably count on that until baby is born, meaning take it easy as possible and do as little as possible. I was given another progesterone injection which hardly hurt when done, but that evening I started to feel it, and the last one still hurt. Two sore cheeks/hips at once! Hopefully they will always feel better before the next one. Since I know I'll be in there weekly we went ahead and made my appointments for the next six weeks. One thing I learned that I had misunderstood thus far was the anemia chart and where Caleb was. I thought because there was anything to plot on the chart that it meant he was anemic, just very little. Apparently he's not anemic at all! The specialist report that Dr. Lunt read recorded an "absence" of anemia. That's way better than what I thought! Dr. Lunt said the Doppler readings of Caleb's brain's blood flow are where a normal baby would be. Yippee! Now if only it could just stay that way...June 30th we officially made it to 30 weeks! Baby should be about 3 lb--the head of a cabbage--and is about 15.7 inches long. (picture 7/1)July 7th was the 31 week point. (About 3.3 lbs--like 4 navel oranges--and over 16 inches long.) The day before (7/6) I had my weekly OB appointment. All went well--minus having to pee in a cup when I can no longer see over baby belly. I told doc I had had some days recently where I have been sooo tired and if it was possibly a side affect from the injections or my anemia. He gave me a blanket "yes" and said it's "the progesterone, anemia, and pregnancy." Three whammy's. Lucky me. Caleb's heartbeat was great at 130 and Dr. Lunt ordered blood work to be done to check the titer. Here's an explanation on that:

"Antibody titer is a laboratory test that measures the presence and amount of antibodies in blood. The antibody level in the blood is a reflection of past exposure to an antigen or to something that the body does not recognize as belonging to itself. The body uses antibodies to attack and remove foreign substances." http://www.healthcentral.com/ency/408/003333.html

I went to the lab for the blood work right after my super early appointment (7:45am) and by 2pm in the afternoon I received a call from my OB's office. It's NEVER a good thing when THEY call ME. It was one of the nurses calling by instruction from Dr. Lunt to let me know the lab results. The titer went up. June 10th it was 1:32 and here a month later it was 1:128. They wanted me to know just FYI and to make sure maternal fetal medicine knew that during my appointment the following week. So what that translates to is my body is producing more antibodies which attack my baby (who is a positive blood type). I will probably start seeing the perinatalogist more than once a month. They'll most likely have to follow Caleb a lot closer now that we're seeing what we anticipated seeing. My poor little baby. He's just a little guy. He never hurt nobody.

Cabin Fever Release

The last week of June Porter and I left the house very very few times, with the exception of swim lessons. It's a good thing we had those for pure sanity. July 1st Porter was a good boy (we had popcorn for a treat after his nap and he thought it was the greatest thing), but I had to get him out of the house--we'd been home entirely too long. He was messing with the dogs and chasing them and trying to "play with them", but really he was just making them mad and driving them crazy. We HAD to get out. I gave Porter the option of going to either the park or Jumpin' Jacks (we haven't been there since Easter weekend!), and he said "Jump-jump!" He played basketball for awhile and was so cute; he would come and give me a kiss, high-five ("give five"), and knuckles. We were only there for 45 minutes before he said, "All done." Shocker since I used to have to drag him out of there after hours and hours of play. He seems to get bored faster now that he's older if he doesn't have someone to play with. Before we left I had to use the bathroom so I made him wash his hands too. After he dried his hands he said, "Thanks paper towels." Cutie! It was getting late and Porter had some free coupons from the reading program at the library so I gave him the choice of a hamburger (from In n' Out) or a taco (from Del Taco) for dinner. He chose hamburger, so off we went which meant I didn't have to make dinner. I'm sure he was getting sick of his recent menu: pizza, nuggets, meatballs, corn dogs, and burritos...all foods from our freezer I can make quickly without having to be on my feet for long. I know not healthy; that's a lot of processed food. I have had veggies and fruit for him too. One night he went crazy over soy beans. That's my boy. Fast food isn't healthy either but at least it's a change! We decided to eat at the park as it was starting to get dark. I got a shake for us to share and he kept maneuvering around the table to get it and I kept moving it. We both laughed, and laughed, and laughed. He was so funny! I made him finish his dinner before he got the shake. Porter was so good: he even shared the shake with Teddy! As we sat there finishing dinner I thought he'd want to play on the playground for at least a minute before leaving but he suddenly said to me, "Time to go home; go night-nights." Well that was easy! Okay you perfect kid!!! Blow me away. We went home, took a quick bath (during which he was splashing his butt and when asked why said "I wash my bum!"), and he was ready for bed. He has been brushing his teeth all by himself recently and I am so proud! What a good good boy! I love my son! Can't wait for him to be a big brother; he's going to be wonderful!

Aaron's Best Buddy

Aaron got a backpack baby carrier on a super-duper liquidation sale. It's so nice! Love it. Porter is a bit big for it but boy did he have fun riding around in it as Aaron ran around the house. (6/17)

The backpack has a sunshade too. Can't wait to have baby Caleb in it and go on family hikes.
One thing Aaron and Porter do together is the hand play/poem "Here's the church, here's the steeple, open the doors, see all the people!" Porter LOVES it! Cracks him up. Of course it's "peoples".

Aaron did some MUCH needed yard work and cut our overwhelming willow trees to a fourth of what they were. (6/4) The branches sat on the side of the house until he had time to haul them away.
Porter was such a big helper getting the branches into the trailer and cleaning up the driveway. (6/18) He loves to help his Daddy and do anything he does.


Daddy giving Porter an overdue haircut. (6/18) He is a really good barber. I'm glad I don't have that duty; too much pressure and I don't have the experience. From stories it sounds to me like Aaron was the barber on his mission for his companions and fellow missionaries.
Bed time routine consists of a bath (not every night), then brushing teeth (most nights), saying a prayer, and reading books (4-5). We usually read the books while he is lying in bed but some times he wants to sit by Daddy.
I'm glad Porter worships his Daddy and that Aaron cherishes the time he spends with his son. He looks forward to it and misses him during the long hours he is away from home at work. I'm so happy they are best buds! =D

Hoffmann/Finaru Weekend

May 20-22 one of my very best friends came to visit for the weekend. It was a special eventful weekend for two reasons: first it was her birthday (on the 20th), and second her husband Ionut was completing in the Triathlon nearby. We celebrated her birthday by eating dinner at Samuri 21 (yuuummy) and we had one of the best chefs. (Porter stayed home with a babysitter.) Then we went home and had cupcakes from the Sweet Tooth Fairy (thank you coupons) and sang happy birthday.


Ionuts competed in the BBSC Endurance Sports St. George Triathlon at Sand Hallow the next morning--Saturday May 21st. It was very impressive! He did the Sprint which is a 750 meter swim, 12.4 mile bike ride, and a 5K run. I went with Kristin and baby Emi to watch and cheer him on. Overall he was disappointed with his time because it wasn't his personal best, but I thought it was pretty awesome!

Paparazzi mama. Kristin is also a triathlete but they obviously can't train and race the same ones now that they are parents, so they take turns.
Porter and his friend baby Emi--short for Emilia.
Mr. "Bix" It
We had a wonderful weekend with great friends!

Happy Father's Day! 2011

What a wonderful Father's Day! (6/19) A beautiful, cool, breezy day that started out by sleeping in. It was also the first day in a week I felt good--i.e. no pain, pressure, or indescribable not-feeling-okay. Porter play time was cute--he wanted to be an Army man AND a super hero.

Then he wanted Daddy to play Army so Daddy got on a shirt and helmet and like a good Daddy played with his son. Porter gave Aaron his present--a photo card and a 20 page photo book from Shutterfly.com. He may have had a LITTLE help from me. ;) Front of the card: "Any man can be a father...but it takes someone special to be a Dad." Inside: "Happy Father's Day Dad. With love from your shadow, #1 fan, mini-me, carbon-copy, little follower...thank you for being the best Dad ever! Porter Michael". The book has a total of 169 pictures--all of Aaron and Porter together--and this is what it said:

Daddy & Porter--The bond and love between a little man and his Dad
To my Daddy--Love your Porter (words by Aunt Stacey; pictures August 2008-Jan 2011)
I really love my Daddy, he plays with me awhile. He tickles me, he makes me laugh; he always makes me smile!
No other one could be a Dad like you; I know you love me through and through.
I can not wait 'til that great day, when I'll be like you in every way.
I hope you always know that you're my hero and my pal; my confidant, my favorite one--you're the man and Mom's the gal.
You teach me how to play, have fun, you toss me in the air. You make life such a joy for me, I miss when you're not there.
Thanks for all you do for me, for all the sacrifice. You do it for our family, and ne'er do think twice.
Holiday's are such a blast; I just hope that I can make them last!
You read me stories, give me treats. You let me just be me.
What a legacy you've given me, I'm glad to bear your name. I'll always try to make you proud, and never be ashamed.
Father could not have sent me to a better Dad than you. You are the best that one could get, for all of this life through.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me, never let me be. For you and I are together now, for all eternity.

My plan was to get him a large griddle (he has wanted one for awhile; we have one but it's too small for his liking) and I was going to buy it a few days before, but due to my "sentence" of restricted activity, I was obedient to doc's orders and didn't do any shopping or walking around. Therefore I gave him the cash and told him to go buy it! =) I also made Aaron breakfast of his choice--over-easy eggs, toast, sausage, and orange juice. That was big since it was the first meal I had made in over a week (back to the pregnancy sentence). I got Porter ready for church--he looked SO HANDSOME--and he was so excited. He LOVES going to church. Aaron gave him a much needed haircut Saturday night and he had a bath, so Sunday he was one fresh, clean boy. Both Aaron and Porter wore black and white ties so I had to make them take pictures before they left. My boys were so handsome! The sun kept coming out when we would want to take a picture and it was too bright so we finally moved to under the tree. I hate missing church but I stayed home (refer again back to the sentence). In the evening we had family dinner at Becky (the youngest Bergquist child) and Nolan's. It was DELICIOUS! Amazing chicken, Rice-a-Roni, green beans, the best fruit salad with peaches, garlic bread, juice, and homemade banana cream pie and peach pie for dessert. I had one happy tummy that night.Porter was so tired and didn't get a nap so he fell asleep in the car on the way to family dinner. He stayed asleep and we laid him on the bed in the apartment. When Aaron woke him up he was too tired to eat or be happy so we went home. First thing he did was grab a fork and dig into Nana's pie pieces we brought home. Little stink.Of course before bed time Porter was wide awake, happy, and ready to play. It was kind of Aaron's fault because he watched some home videos with Porter of them playing, and suddenly Porter wanted to play play play. He kept "beeping" his nose and running. Then he would beep Aaron's nose to get him to go. So cute!!!After Porter had lots of rides on Daddy's shoulders it was Daddy's turn to get a ride. I think Porter will have to grow a bit before that works. =P
We made sure to read at least one "daddy" book at bedtime. All in all I think Aaron felt loved and I KNOW he cherishes fatherhood and is looking forward to having another son. He is the very best dad in the world so I hope we can have lots of babies, but we have to take it one at a time. I'll take whatever heaven will bless us with. Let's hope there are more. =)