Yes, on August 28th Ray and I went to Madigan Hospital, (another military hospital in the area), to get detailed ultrasounds of our baby and of my heart. Okay, before you freak out, I have a heart murmur and the doctor just wanted to make sure that everything was okay.
We arrived at Madigan at 7 am, almost two hours before my appointment. We were trying to give ourselves enough time to get through Monday morning traffic. So, with time to kill, Ray and I walked around the park and lake next to the hospital. As it got closer to the time of my appointment we made our way through the maze that is Madigan Medical Center and found our way to the OB/GYN with enough time to spare.
In the waiting room it was interesting to see the looks we got from other couples there. With America always being referred to as the melting pot of the world I forget that to many people a couple like Ray and I are still a rare site and one that unfortunately still gets questioning looks from people.
Despite the stares, Ray and I were very excited to know that in a short matter of time we would find out if this jelly bean growing inside of me was a pink jelly bean or a blue one. Before we knew it my name was called and we headed back to the ultrasound room.
It didn't take long for the technician to see our GIRL spread-eagle showing off her stuff. She was not camera shy at all. She did flips and waved at us. She sucked her thumb and showed off her cute little feet and butt to us. The technician had a hard time trying to get good pictures and measurements of my uterus and the umbilical cord with our little girl wiggling her way into all the photos. I started to cry when the technician was able to re-confirm that our baby was indeed a girl.
When the technician was satisfied with the images Ray helped me clean off my belly of all that ultrasound gel. The technician then advised us to hide our photos before leaving the room because some of the other patients in the hospital may start to get mad if they see the number of pictures we got. I wasn't sure what she meant, and then I saw her pick up an almost three foot scroll of photos from off the floor. She admitted to being a little photo happy and to our surprise we were leaving the ultrasound room with 23 pictures of our baby girl!
While back in the waiting room waiting to see my doctor, Ray and I would turn to look at each other and give an evil grin every time we saw a couple come in with there two or five ultrasound photos.
My doctor was really cool. Her name is Dr. Gotkins. She let us know everything that was going on and explained in detail anything we had questions about. Only a week earlier I had a Quad test that is a blood test to sceen for birth defects. Gotkins told me the results came back with a high count for Down Syndrome. Now the doctor explained to us that this doesn't mean our little girl has DS. The test results just establishes a risk figure on which Ray and I can decided if we want to investigate further.
Ray and I had already decided days before that if my numbers came back high that I would undergo an amniocentesis. Dr. Gotkins felt that based on the ultrasounds there seemed to be no problem with the baby, but to put all our minds at ease it would be a good idea to have the amnio. The doctor just happen to be free in an hour, so we scheduled to come back to have the test done.
We found our way down to the blood lab where Ray went to get some blood drawn. The doctor wanted to make sure that Ray did not carry the Sickle Cell Anemia trait or any other sickle cell trait. After the blood test we waddled our way back to the waiting room. (There was me actually waddling and Ray making fun of me waddling.)
Soon I found myself once again in an ultrasound room. Now if you don't know what an amnio is, pay close attention because I'm about to give you a very detailed account of what one is.
I laid almost flat on the table, my shirt lifted up and a towel tucked under my waistband. There was Ray, the doctor and an assistant present in the room. As a joke the doctor gave me the instructions fo rthe amnio to read. I had everyone in the room laughing as I started to read aloud the steps that should be followed and in what order.
The doctor did a quick ultrasound to find the best spot in which she would insert the needle. Yes, I said needle. An amnio involves taking about a six inch needle and inserting it into your uterus. I am not laying, this is an actual medical procedure and not some sick sceen from a horror movie.
After the doctor found a good spot, she wiped the gel off my stomach while her assitant started covering my surrounding stomach area with sterile cloths. My stomach was rubbed with iodine and a sterile operating gel was applyed to my stomach. Dr. Gotkins again found the spot that she looked at earlier and with the ultrasound wand as her guide she inserted the needle. I thank God Ray was there. Not only did he stand near me, blocking my view of the needle, he was also able to grab my hands and hold me down as my body reacted to a pain it had never felt before.
Whoever said that an amnio sounds worse then it really is must have been on an extremely high dosage of morphine when they said it. An amnio is exactly as bad as it sounds. Your stomach was not designed to have anything stab it, and with your body constantly working to protect your baby from the outside world you can just imagin how my body felt when this six inch needle came in and proceeded to suck amniotic fluid from my uterus. FYI- amniotic fluid looks just like baby pee, in case you were curious.
Ray was a wonderful partner, helping me breath through the pain and saying encouraging words. The whole ordeal lasted less then five minutes which was still too long for me. It felt like I had been stabbed in the stomach, which Ray remineded me, was exactly what just happened.
Dr. Gotkins explained that the samples would be sent to a lab that would take the liquid and seperate the baby's dead skin cells that are floating around in it. They would then take these cells and grow them into cultures. When they had enough cultures they will be able to test it for all sorts of birth defects. The time it takes to grow such cultures meant that we wouldn't find out the results of the test for almost two weeks.
There is only a 1 in 200 chance of something going wrong after having an amnio. Dr. Gotkins let us know all the risk both before and after the test. I was advised that after my heart ultrasound to just go home and relax for the rest of the day. If there was any bleeding or if my water broke I was to get to the emergency room asap.
I think Ray and I both prayed as we made our way to my next appointment on the other side of the hospital. We prayed the results of the test would come back all normal and that I wouldn't be on the left side of that 1 in 200 chance of something going wrong. There was nothing we could do now. On the elevator I put my arms around Ray. He squeezed me tight and simply said, "It's in God's hands now."
My heart ultrasound was pretty much a blur. I had enough on my mind. My stomach was sore and starting to cramp, which the doctor had already told me was to be expected. All I wanted was to get back home and lay down. In another hour I got my wish.
As I laid on our couch slowing drifting into much needed sleep I put my hands on my stomach and prayed that God deliver unto us a beautiful and healthy baby girl. And the little jelly bean inside turned her body toward my hand in response.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
The Baby Shower
On August 5th , Linda and David hosted our baby shower in Phoenix. It was a wonderful event. Ray and I were surprised at the amount of people who attended. We had a wonderful evening playing baby shower games and catching up on everyone’s lives. Both our moms kicked ass with the food they busted out with. I’m sure David managed to finish all the leftovers in a couple of days.
Now that all the packages have been open, the baby clothes are all cleaned and the baby room is currently taking shape, I can now start to breath a little and take stock of what our new baby has.
I can safely say that the baby now has enough burp clothes to last until college.
I know that baby manual John and Maggie gave us was a huge hit at the shower. Everyone at the shower got to read it except us! I was surprised that we were even able to smuggle it out of Phoenix.
The real show stopper was the vibrating teething ring that made many of our guest think of very ‘adult’ things to do with it. I’ve made sure to disinfect that teething ring- twice!
Both grandma Ginny and my Girl Scout troop leader/ dear friend Ruth both gave the baby beautiful handmade items.
Ray and I are not ashamed to admit that we are already jealous of the baby. It’s bathtub is way cooler then ours and the ducky shower set is just too cute.
It is hard to believe that the baby’s clothes have taken up half the closet already and its not even born yet!
Currently I am working on the thank you notes which I hope to get out to everyone before Christmas. (Sorry, but I’m now running on military time.)
Now that all the packages have been open, the baby clothes are all cleaned and the baby room is currently taking shape, I can now start to breath a little and take stock of what our new baby has.
I can safely say that the baby now has enough burp clothes to last until college.
I know that baby manual John and Maggie gave us was a huge hit at the shower. Everyone at the shower got to read it except us! I was surprised that we were even able to smuggle it out of Phoenix.
The real show stopper was the vibrating teething ring that made many of our guest think of very ‘adult’ things to do with it. I’ve made sure to disinfect that teething ring- twice!
Both grandma Ginny and my Girl Scout troop leader/ dear friend Ruth both gave the baby beautiful handmade items.
Ray and I are not ashamed to admit that we are already jealous of the baby. It’s bathtub is way cooler then ours and the ducky shower set is just too cute.
It is hard to believe that the baby’s clothes have taken up half the closet already and its not even born yet!
Currently I am working on the thank you notes which I hope to get out to everyone before Christmas. (Sorry, but I’m now running on military time.)
To Hawaii or Bust!
Okay, here is the story.
As many of you may well know I was planning on leaving to Hawaii the first week of September. All the plans had been made and everything seemed to be going along like clockwork. The movers came on August 17th and started packing our house. I lounged around the house reading up on all my baby magazines and checking in on the movers from time to time. We already past our pre-inspection just a couple of days before and I was feeling pretty good about my first major military move.
The next day the movers came to finish packing and to start loading our boxes onto their truck. About an hour after the movers had arrived I received a call from Ray who sounded very upset. There was a possibility that he would have to do West Pac with the sub at the end of next year. This didn’t make any sense to me since Ray is scheduled to leave his sub before then. About a couple of hours after I got off the phone with Ray the doorbell rang. It was Ray on the other side of the door. Now I realized that something was wrong .
It turns out that the military only allows one family move every 12 months. But those 12 months are counted starting on the first day that Ray arrives in Hawaii, not me. So if Ray’s sub doesn’t get to Hawaii until December we wouldn’t be able to move again until next December. Ray would have no choice but to extend his time on the sub until next December and be forced to go on West Pac. (For those of you who don't know, a West Pac is a sub spending six months under water somewhere in the middle of the ocean with little to zero contact with family.)
Well, this is not what we had planned. Even though the movers were ready to load everything that day, I knew that we were given three days for the move, so after several calls to the moving company I had the movers drop everything they were doing and asked them to come back tomorrow. Ray and I needed time to figure out what we should do.
After several long talks with the both the moving inspectors and Ray a new plan was made. I would stay here in Washington until after our baby is born. By that time Ray’s sub might actually be in Hawaii, (but no one is holding their breath on that). Once I get the okay from the doctor I’ll have all our stuff here in Washington put into temporary storage and the baby and I will fly out to Hawaii. We will rent a small furnished apartment and make the best of everything for the short time that we are in Hawaii.
So, the next day we had the movers come back and unpack everything. It was a mess getting everything back in order. There are still half-empty boxes and packing tape scattered around the house. We are still working on getting our house back to looking and feeling like a home.
On a good note, all this packing and unpacking has totally confused all our neighbors. Now they don’t know what to think of us. The other good thing is that Ray and I will be together to go trick or treating this Halloween. (It is never too early to teach your kids the art of begging for candy.)
Now, before you get all bummed out, I want to tell you that yes, you will still be able to have an excuse to go to Hawaii. I suggest saving up your money now and making plans to spend Spring Break with us and the new baby. Or if you’ll be in the area come pay us a visit here in Washington. It looks like I’ll be here for a while.
As many of you may well know I was planning on leaving to Hawaii the first week of September. All the plans had been made and everything seemed to be going along like clockwork. The movers came on August 17th and started packing our house. I lounged around the house reading up on all my baby magazines and checking in on the movers from time to time. We already past our pre-inspection just a couple of days before and I was feeling pretty good about my first major military move.
The next day the movers came to finish packing and to start loading our boxes onto their truck. About an hour after the movers had arrived I received a call from Ray who sounded very upset. There was a possibility that he would have to do West Pac with the sub at the end of next year. This didn’t make any sense to me since Ray is scheduled to leave his sub before then. About a couple of hours after I got off the phone with Ray the doorbell rang. It was Ray on the other side of the door. Now I realized that something was wrong .
It turns out that the military only allows one family move every 12 months. But those 12 months are counted starting on the first day that Ray arrives in Hawaii, not me. So if Ray’s sub doesn’t get to Hawaii until December we wouldn’t be able to move again until next December. Ray would have no choice but to extend his time on the sub until next December and be forced to go on West Pac. (For those of you who don't know, a West Pac is a sub spending six months under water somewhere in the middle of the ocean with little to zero contact with family.)
Well, this is not what we had planned. Even though the movers were ready to load everything that day, I knew that we were given three days for the move, so after several calls to the moving company I had the movers drop everything they were doing and asked them to come back tomorrow. Ray and I needed time to figure out what we should do.
After several long talks with the both the moving inspectors and Ray a new plan was made. I would stay here in Washington until after our baby is born. By that time Ray’s sub might actually be in Hawaii, (but no one is holding their breath on that). Once I get the okay from the doctor I’ll have all our stuff here in Washington put into temporary storage and the baby and I will fly out to Hawaii. We will rent a small furnished apartment and make the best of everything for the short time that we are in Hawaii.
So, the next day we had the movers come back and unpack everything. It was a mess getting everything back in order. There are still half-empty boxes and packing tape scattered around the house. We are still working on getting our house back to looking and feeling like a home.
On a good note, all this packing and unpacking has totally confused all our neighbors. Now they don’t know what to think of us. The other good thing is that Ray and I will be together to go trick or treating this Halloween. (It is never too early to teach your kids the art of begging for candy.)
Now, before you get all bummed out, I want to tell you that yes, you will still be able to have an excuse to go to Hawaii. I suggest saving up your money now and making plans to spend Spring Break with us and the new baby. Or if you’ll be in the area come pay us a visit here in Washington. It looks like I’ll be here for a while.
Pregnancy Pictures
This is just a couple of our beautiful pregnancy photos that the wonderful Lorrie Lott took for us when we can down to Phoenix.
Oh, the Bellies You'll Meet
During this pregnancy I have discovered that having a belly puts you into a totally new society. I call it the Belly Society. Even though this society may look a lot like our own, it follows its own set of social rules. I am documenting my observations of this society. Below is just a few of the bellies I have encountered since entering this society.
Victim Belly
These bellies love to wallow in self-pity. Everyone is against them and their growing tummy- even the their unborn baby is out to get them. They have their OB’s number on speed-dial and is on first name bases with all the nurses at the OB/GYN clinic. Every cough and cramp warrants a visit to the emergency room. If their doctor puts them on bed rest they lay there like Evita on her deathbed morning over their life and their unfulfilled dreams. And don’t dare tell them that there is nothing wrong or that it’s all in their head. Oh no, this type of talk will send the Victim Belly into an Oscar worthy fainting spell. But if you are lucky, the Victim Belly will stop talking to you because, as she will say to her friends between fake contractions and dramatic grabbing of the belly, “She doesn’t understand how truly painful pregnancy can be. I’ve suffered so much. I pray she never has to experience what I’m going through. I just don’t think she could handle it.” Oh, Please!!!
Mother Hen Belly
Oh, I’m sure you’ve met one of these bellies. They know everything that you should and should not do when you are pregnant and if you don’t take heed to their warnings, your baby will come out deformed or dead. You know that Big Mac you’re about to take a bite out of? Well the bun is made with a processed flour that may increase the chance of your baby developing cancer when they’re 50. Did you go bike riding yesterday. Well you’re living dangerously. Didn’t you know that there was over 150 miscarriages reported last year due to bike falls? Oh, and don’t even think about going to the salad bar at the Old Country Buffet. Chemicals found on non-organic lettuces can cause birth defects and even death. No matter how good you are at following the normal pregnancy restrictions Mother Hen Bellies will follow you around pointing out everything you are doing to kill your unborn child. If you see one of these bellies coming, run to the nearest Basket Robin or Cold Stone. Order two scoops of that steroid-infested-ice-cream-made-from-chemically-enhanced-cow-milk-that-will-cause-your-son-to-be-born-with-an-unusually-small-penis and relish in the fact that you and your baby will be just fine.
Snob Belly
Oh, yes, there are Snob Bellies. Obviously, not all bellies are created equal and Snob Bellies want to make sure you know that fact. Snob Bellies are easy to recognize. They are usually dressed from head to toe in Gap Maternity finished off with a pair of high heels and the latest Coach purse. Their nails are flawless and so is there skin. So, what’s the problem? While there is nothing wrong with trying to look your best during your pregnancy, I do have a problem with Snob Bellies looking down their nose at other bellies who may have more body roll then bank roll to look like they just walked off the cover of Vogue. Snob Bellies carry themselves in such a way as to make other bellies feel like they don’t deserve the right to show off their beautiful bellies. I’ve seen them snicker and point as Wal-Mart bellies. And the look of disgust that they give thrift store bellies is just down right rude. Yes, Snob Bellies may have a personal Yoga instructor, a personal chef and weekly bookings at the spa, but there is one thing these bellies don’t have- freedom. Snob Bellies are so tied down by image that they can’t enjoy the real liberating joy that pregnancy should bring. Snob Bellies are very annoying, but just like the ‘It’ girls in high school you’ll soon come to realize they are not worth your time or thought.
Superwoman Belly
These bellies are dangerous to be around. They are career mined, power hungry women who treat pregnancy as just another job on their to-do list. They are always spotted with their cell phone glued to their ear and a Palm Pilot open and at the ready. Everything is scheduled and planned right down to the very minute they plan to arrive in the hospital in labor. There is no room in their life for the unexpected. Everything in their life has been planned with superb perfection. And their pregnancy should be no different. Superwoman Bellies will work up to the very moment that their contractions are five minutes apart. They will only take a week of maternity leave because they know their body will bounce back quickly and besides, the company will just go under if they are not there to oversee what needs to be done. In fact during the week they are off Superwoman Bellies will be calling the office everyday to check in and make sure everything is running like clockwork. To put it simply Superwoman Bellies are walking time bombs. Life is going to exploded in their face at any moment and they won’t know how to handle it. My suggestion is to stay far enough away from Superwoman Bellies so you won’t get hit by the pieces of their shattered schedule, but stay close enough to catch them when life throws them across the room. They will need other bellies around them when reality hits and they start to realize that life- especially an unborn life, is something that they must give over control to, instead of trying to take control of.
Victim Belly
These bellies love to wallow in self-pity. Everyone is against them and their growing tummy- even the their unborn baby is out to get them. They have their OB’s number on speed-dial and is on first name bases with all the nurses at the OB/GYN clinic. Every cough and cramp warrants a visit to the emergency room. If their doctor puts them on bed rest they lay there like Evita on her deathbed morning over their life and their unfulfilled dreams. And don’t dare tell them that there is nothing wrong or that it’s all in their head. Oh no, this type of talk will send the Victim Belly into an Oscar worthy fainting spell. But if you are lucky, the Victim Belly will stop talking to you because, as she will say to her friends between fake contractions and dramatic grabbing of the belly, “She doesn’t understand how truly painful pregnancy can be. I’ve suffered so much. I pray she never has to experience what I’m going through. I just don’t think she could handle it.” Oh, Please!!!
Mother Hen Belly
Oh, I’m sure you’ve met one of these bellies. They know everything that you should and should not do when you are pregnant and if you don’t take heed to their warnings, your baby will come out deformed or dead. You know that Big Mac you’re about to take a bite out of? Well the bun is made with a processed flour that may increase the chance of your baby developing cancer when they’re 50. Did you go bike riding yesterday. Well you’re living dangerously. Didn’t you know that there was over 150 miscarriages reported last year due to bike falls? Oh, and don’t even think about going to the salad bar at the Old Country Buffet. Chemicals found on non-organic lettuces can cause birth defects and even death. No matter how good you are at following the normal pregnancy restrictions Mother Hen Bellies will follow you around pointing out everything you are doing to kill your unborn child. If you see one of these bellies coming, run to the nearest Basket Robin or Cold Stone. Order two scoops of that steroid-infested-ice-cream-made-from-chemically-enhanced-cow-milk-that-will-cause-your-son-to-be-born-with-an-unusually-small-penis and relish in the fact that you and your baby will be just fine.
Snob Belly
Oh, yes, there are Snob Bellies. Obviously, not all bellies are created equal and Snob Bellies want to make sure you know that fact. Snob Bellies are easy to recognize. They are usually dressed from head to toe in Gap Maternity finished off with a pair of high heels and the latest Coach purse. Their nails are flawless and so is there skin. So, what’s the problem? While there is nothing wrong with trying to look your best during your pregnancy, I do have a problem with Snob Bellies looking down their nose at other bellies who may have more body roll then bank roll to look like they just walked off the cover of Vogue. Snob Bellies carry themselves in such a way as to make other bellies feel like they don’t deserve the right to show off their beautiful bellies. I’ve seen them snicker and point as Wal-Mart bellies. And the look of disgust that they give thrift store bellies is just down right rude. Yes, Snob Bellies may have a personal Yoga instructor, a personal chef and weekly bookings at the spa, but there is one thing these bellies don’t have- freedom. Snob Bellies are so tied down by image that they can’t enjoy the real liberating joy that pregnancy should bring. Snob Bellies are very annoying, but just like the ‘It’ girls in high school you’ll soon come to realize they are not worth your time or thought.
Superwoman Belly
These bellies are dangerous to be around. They are career mined, power hungry women who treat pregnancy as just another job on their to-do list. They are always spotted with their cell phone glued to their ear and a Palm Pilot open and at the ready. Everything is scheduled and planned right down to the very minute they plan to arrive in the hospital in labor. There is no room in their life for the unexpected. Everything in their life has been planned with superb perfection. And their pregnancy should be no different. Superwoman Bellies will work up to the very moment that their contractions are five minutes apart. They will only take a week of maternity leave because they know their body will bounce back quickly and besides, the company will just go under if they are not there to oversee what needs to be done. In fact during the week they are off Superwoman Bellies will be calling the office everyday to check in and make sure everything is running like clockwork. To put it simply Superwoman Bellies are walking time bombs. Life is going to exploded in their face at any moment and they won’t know how to handle it. My suggestion is to stay far enough away from Superwoman Bellies so you won’t get hit by the pieces of their shattered schedule, but stay close enough to catch them when life throws them across the room. They will need other bellies around them when reality hits and they start to realize that life- especially an unborn life, is something that they must give over control to, instead of trying to take control of.
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