Mini Baby and the Lost Tooth Saga

Well, gosh - where to start?

A lot has gone on in the last few week. As you know, from the last post - we found out we are having a girl. One week later, the concept is still so abstract!!!! I wonder if that is normal? When you have a boy, are used to boys...then to have this frilly, pink concept thrown at you. Wow. Like I said...still processing the whole idea!!! Don't get me wrong - I am thankful, immensely thankful that she is healthy, the right SIZE and all the parts and pieces are in place....just...wow, a girl?!?!

So - that leads to the mini-baby thing. As some of you know - Isaac was small. Ok - not just small, he was crazy-tiny. He was born at 37 weeks, only 4lbs 13oz. Therefore, with this pregnancy, they sent us to a fetal specialist for our 19 week ultrasound. At first, I was intimidated - every time I called they were so somber, saying things like "Bring one adult with you, do not bring any children....". This isn't exactly the office you bring your energetic 3 year old to, people who come here aren't usually in the "normal pregnancy" category, from what I can tell - and so, aside from the distraction, I presume flaunting your toddler around isn't welcome.

We go in, the ultrasound portion goes nicely - all the parts and pieces in their right place, a nice juicy weight (10 oz), placenta the right size and operating appropriately, yadda yadda. Dr. B walked in and confirmed all that the tech said - including the "girl" part. We then head into a conference room. At this point I am thinking "whew, this is going to be a breeze!!!"

In the conference room he explains that based on the information provided about Isaac - he has said "he would be labeled an IUGR birth". (IUGR = Intrauterine growth restriction) He then goes on to explain the different reasons why IUGR happens. He also explained how serious IUGR can be - and how lucky we were that my water broke when it did with Isaac.

After going through our family history, asking a ton of questions about our pregnancy with Isaac - he then explains that possibly I have an inherited blood disorder which may have caused the IUGR - but other than that, I didn't fall into any of the other known explanations (drug abuse, smoking, genetic disorders, etc). He explained the complexities of this possibility - which scared the ba-jeezus out of me. The other possibility is the IUGR cases that do not have known explanations, which means just a whole lot of monitoring in the third trimester. So, 10 viles of blood later, instructions to up my protein by drinking 1-2 protein drinks a day and take baby aspirin...we walk out the door in a state of "uh, what does this mean?"

Either way, I will be seeing Dr. B the remainder of the pregnancy. I will say, despite the initial impression of the office, I REALLY liked them when we were there. Dr. B was very easy going and easy to talk to.

The next day, Mom calls me and tells me that this inherited blood disorder called Thalassemia Minor (sp?) runs in my grandfather's family - and that pretty much everyone who has been tested for it has it (Grandpa, Great Uncle, Great Aunt, 4 cousins....) - and of course, she found links on the web to IUGR. So - I call Dr. B and they add that to my list of "tests". Good news is, people with Thalassemia don't get malaria - thank goodness I won't have to worry about that (heh).

In the meantime....I headed for Flint for the weekend while Brian was gone for work. On Monday, we had a fun playdate planned with cousin Gillian!!! However, while eating breakfast, all the sudden...my front tooth broke off! This is a tooth that I had a crown and a root canal on - so it didn't hurt at least. Suffice it to say, this was just the icing on the cake. I lost it. We headed home and it wasn't until late Tuesday that I got a "flipper" from the dentist. Now, I need to get a dental implant - however, the oral surgeon won't touch me until after the baby is born...so, to add to everything else right now - I am dealing with getting used to this fake tooth, eating with it, talking with it and facing the fact that it's going to be with me for the rest of the year (oh, and it is NOT cheap). This threw me in a state of emotional highs and lows all week. My poor husband and son....

The call came at almost 5pm on Friday. The nurse said I came back negative for everything. So - I don't need to worry about some freaky blood thing raising the possibility of us having another IUGR baby. (Yay, but now I have to worry about that darn malaria!) However, does this mean we won't have another baby with IUGR? No...it doesn't - it could still happen at any time during the third trimester, from what he said. So - I go back at the end of April for another ultrasound and I suppose we will discuss how that will go for the rest of the pregnancy. In the meantime, so much for only gaining 7lbs so far - those protein drinks (at almost 250-500 calories a day) will take care of that.

So...the weight is lifting, but still - it was a rough week over here. It's still not past - but, we are adjusting...

Good news this week? We have started to feel actual movements from "the lil gal". Brian even felt one last night while we were watching a movie. This is the part I love, the reminders that there is a little being in there, chillin' out. ;)

Sugar and Spice....

What are little boys made of?

What are little boys made of?

Frogs and snails, and puppy-dogs tails,

And such are little boys made of.

What are little girls made of?

What are little girls made of?

Sugar and spice and all things nice,

And such are little girls made of.

For the first time in 34 years, our family will get to experience "sugar and spice" instead of frogs, snails and puppy dog tails. Of course, our family really loves little boys - so this should be an interesting adventure - Brian and I are having a girl!

This goes against my gut! I totally thought it was going to be a boy - probably because that's just what I figured I would have! But, we will very much welcome a little girl - and Isaac will have a "his hers" of his very own.

Couple's Trivia Night

Our chapter of Mothers & More hosted a couple's trivia night in Feb. We were paired up with Bob and Holly - and, if you can assume from the photo - we didn't do really well!! But we got a few decent pics out of it, and a childless night out anyways!!!

Spratke V2.1, Week 15

Definitely showing a little sooner with this one. Dr.K says I am definitely carrying "high", for whatever that's worth!

Random Feb. Photos

Isaac likes self portraits.

Blue thinks he's a pocket pooch.

Isaac was being a "monster".

Cleaning time!

These may only be "Grandma Worthy"

Isaac loves sitting in his room listening to music these days. One day this week, he decided to let us in on what he does while listening to the music....

Music Mania!

Isaac has taken to enjoying listening to music in his room. This is one of his favorites right now...(please excuse the cough at the end).

A few more frozen photos....

I couldn't help but post this video too. I just love the part where Isaac hops just a little!!!

The Frozen Tundra

Before we left on Sunday, the weather had warmed enough for a trip to the "beach"...or, this time of year, the Frozen Tundra.

Isaac loved slipping and sliding all over the ice!

Peace, Love & Perch: Perchville 2010

Ellis, Isaac and Auggie

We had a delightful weekend up in East Tawas at the annual Perchville Festival. Our neighbors, the Woollatt's joined us for what was a cold, yet very memorable weekend!

After hearing the sirens on Friday night, we had dinner at G's pizza. During this time, Isaac managed to flirt with every teen girl he could make eye contact with.

Saturday, we went to see the parade, Old Tyme Movee (movies of East Tawas in the middle of the century), shanty race, polar bear swim, family tent, air boat rides...I never knew how much they had going on down there - and we didn't even see it all!!!

Misc. January Photos

Isaac likes to help Brian with his "Farmville"....here he is, giving advice on what should be planted...

Brian started running again this month, after taking break for a while. Isaac, naturally, wants to get involved - so Daddy taught him some stretches.

O Positive vs. O Negative!

Well....so - my doctor calls today about the whole blood type "mix up".

Turns out - it is not. She said, this is the first time that she has ever encountered this...but get this (summarized, of course) :

Back when I had Isaac, there were certain methods of testing blood. At the time, I was considered a "weak positive", but the way things were classified - positive I was.

Apparently now, with the way they do tests and classify blood - I am not considered positive! I am now considered O Negative!

So - when she said blood types don't change...well, it's not that my blood changed, just the way it is classified did.

So - how nuts is that?

Week 13 Update...

Our day started with a trip to the hair salon. I had Sara cut me a few little bangs, just to change things up a little, and I am really liking them. They somewhat remind me of my hair when I first started dating Brian (note: 11 years ago!)

I had an OB appt today - and all is well. Isaac was all excited to hear "his baby" - only to fall asleep in the car. I lugged him like a sack of potatoes all the way into the office - and of course, everyone kept saying "how cute" and being quiet. I was like "No, please, it's ok if he wakes up!" (he has been staying up LATE on the days he naps!

It took a little while to get the heartbeat, she said that it's "up higher" than most are at this phase. She said everything looks good. I have only gained 1 lb in the last 4 weeks, which doesn't surprise me - based on the only things I have wanted to eat (yogurt, english muffins, fruit, granola and salads) AND, lugging around a 30lb., 3 year old boy!

Then she mentioned "did you know you are O negative?" and I was like "Um, really? I always thought I was O positive"....and then she started talking about shots you would have before and after birth - which I am positive I did not have with Isaac. They were able to look up my bloodwork from my pregnancy with Isaac - and sure enough, O Pos. So....she said she'd get that worked out. The only other thing is, my "due date" is in dispute. Normally you go off of date of the last period - however, in our case, we know the exact date of ovulation - so, we could go off that. I am going to stick with the earlier, optimistic due date - for the time being! ha!

So - on the way down the elevator, Isaac woke up. So, we stopped in the cafe and got a little treat and some apple juice....which he enjoyed. Then he wanted to go to the "candy cane store".....which is the breastfeeding supply store! That made me laugh! Luckily, he thought it was closed, so I managed to bypass that "treat". I told him we'd have plenty of time to go to the "candy cane" store in the future.

Now, he is in his room listening to music, his new favorite pastime. They say how much is too much TV, but the people who know don't seem to have any recommendations on if "too much music is too much"!!! I thought secluding yourself in your bedroom, listening to music was only something 16 year old boys did!!! For the time being, I am enjoying the "peace" and the music is actually pretty catchy (thanks to Brian's pics at the library!).

Off to do other productive things while he is pre-occupied!!!

Noticing the little things....

Our life goes by in such a flash, sometimes I think to myself - you need to write this down, before you forget. Like, when Isaac started referring to robots as "be-bop robop"...which morphed into "be bop robot", complete with robotic voice action.

One of my favorite things right now - I have NO idea the origin of. The "line leader". I suspect it may be from his brief stint in day care this fall, when I was doing a contract - but I am not sure. Essentially, in his eyes, a line leader is anything that starts something. Whether you are the first in a a line, the first to do something, etc. Sometimes he will say "Mom, you are the line leader becausee you woke up before me". It cracks me up...and, I have been able to turn it around on him to get him to do things. "Can you be the line leader to the bathroom".

He also "insulted" a friend at playgroup the other day by referring to her as "the caboose". A line leader can be interchanged with an "engine". So - if you are the first person, you can be the engine, and if Isaac wants you to follow him - don't be insulted if you are the "caboose". Oh - and, those of you in the middle...you are the shark cars. (Named after the shark train cars we have for his train set....don't all sharks travel by train??? really?). The other day at dinner, Isaac was explaining how he was the engine, Daddy was the shark car and I was the caboose.

Anyways...Brian probably considers this just the beginnings of a whole other fake language he is going to have to live with, along with the already well known "Becky-isms"....but I think it's just an interesting observation of how a toddler relates to the world.

Upcoming conversations will probably revolve around....

"Mommy, do you have a baby in your belly?"
"Yes, I do"
"Why?"
"So you can have a brother or sister".
"I want a brother and a sister, at the same time"
"sorry bud, only one or the other"
"that's my choice?"
"Well...not really your choice, but we will get into that later"

What does this look like, Mommy?

What DOES this look like? It looks like what mommy is going to look like this spring/summer.

Brian and I are pleased, thankful and humbled to announce - Isaac is going to be a big brother. We are due August 6, 2010. Obviously, given our history - this date is really nothing more than an end date - but a date it is. As Brian said, we appreciate it so much more this time around, knowing what is in store for us.

We have been lucky enough to hear heartbeats, get glamor shots (ultrasounds), yadda yadda.... so it's becoming more real every day.

Nothing like stacking the decks by planning a family reunion (Aug 7-8th, 2010) and buying tickets to see U2 (June 30th, 2010) to make that stick turn pink. So, I will be relying on my "up north" friends, to reserve a spot on the beach for me in August....and my Caravelle neighbors - you will actually get to SEE US during the month of July.

Behind, behind,behind....

It seems lately, posting on here is an after thought...something I get to now and then, when I get to sit down. There certainly isn't much sitting down when you are chasing a 3 year old around. I hope to get around to improving that soon...really! The biggest problem is - all our photos are on another computer, and when I think to blog, that computer isn't on, so I don't....and the cycle goes on.

I will post more pictures - soon! I promise!!!

That being said, we had a really nice New Years! We had 3 other couples come to visit - totaling 8 adults, 7 kids in our house. That doesn't even include the 2 dogs and Helen the cat. Thank goodness Blue and Maggie are geriatric and sleep a lot!!!

Isaac's new room was a huge success - the kids spent a lot of time in there, hanging out on the top bunk and playing. Brian took the kids out to play in the snow, and we made a mass trip to Bounce Party on New Years Day. Of course, we chatted by fires, played Wii, ate too much and enjoyed much catching up.

It was wonderful to be with our friends, and their children - this is the 12th year of our friendship with them. Although we generally referred to them as the Blue Sky gang - I have recently taken to calling them "pajama friends". That category of friends that you put people in when you can hang out with them in your jammies. (nothing like waking up and hashing out how awful Dick Clark looked over coffee). Friends like that can be hard to find, and take time to cultivate - but with these guys - it was always instant. I cherish their friendships so much.

So - to all of you, I hope you had a wonderful New Years - perhaps with some "pajama buddies" of your own.... or at least, a restful and refreshing start to the new year.

Gilligan's Island Party

In honor of their 10 year anniversaries, our friend's Mike & Renee, along with their close friend's Lou & Kate decided to throw a party...and not just any party - but a Gilligan's Island party!

So - celebrate we did with a DJ and a multitude of Skippers and MaryAnn's!!!

Brian dressed as Mr.Howell, I dressed as "MaryAnn from the Goddess Episiode". It was a really fun party theme and we had a great time!

Since I can't possibly post all the pictures from this - you'll have to check our photo site:

Gilligan's Island Photos

Enjoy!

What was I thinkin?

Ok! That wasn't our WHOLE November! Geesh!

Isaac went to his buddy Tyler's birthday party - and enjoyed some bowling. He did pretty well! Check out his "moves".

Then, the infamous Birchville WingDing 2009!!! Our annual end of the year get together with our cabin neighbors. We expanded our menu this year to not only deep frying wings, but also mushrooms and potatoes! Add some red pepper relish and mac n' cheese...and holy cow, what a feast!

November Recap

Oh, so - the holidays struck us in full force, with parties, fun, etc - and of course, I posted none of it! So - to start a recap on November - here's a little video from early November...

Due to the unseasonable warm weather, we did a lot of playing outside:
And then there was Thanksgiving, with the normal kitchen chaos, cosmos and...of course, Auntie Bear. Isaac seemed to think she'd enjoy a toddler on her lap.
We rounded out the month with a trip to Isaac's first ballet "Twas the Night Before Christmas"...and he got to see Santa when it was done.

Halloween - Petoskey style

After the infamous barn party, we had a full day of being lazy at Tim and Missy's until it was time to go trick or treating. Since they live in a rural area, they head into Petoskey for Halloween fun. The street they took us to was jam- with kids, and you could tell the residents really enjoyed decorating for the holiday!

Isaac was a "happy bat" and Will was a "black cat"! It was so funny to watch them...and Isaac was very serious about the candy gathering! He wouldn't even eat any until he was done. We called it "No Candy Left Behind".


Then, after all of the fun, Isaac and Will decided to try on some of the masks from the "Barn Bash"!

Cuddling with Uncle Tim and cousin Will during Sunday morning cartoons....

Happy Halloween Everyone!