Well, that explains a lot!

Great start to our Spring Break vacation...

Eric has been sick with a chest cold for what seem like forever, Breanna has even come down with a few of  his symptoms, mainly head congestion and a slight cough, and for the last week or so I have felt like blah. Of course I had assumed most of Bre's symptoms were allergy related because the pollen is everywhere and appears to be an inch think on everything in and outside of our home. Thankfully I had already decided to keep her out of school today (3/22) because we are leaving around 1pm to start our Spring Break vacation. I am so glad I made this choice earlier, as Bre woke up with a fever! Yep joy! Starting vacation with two sickies, and me not at 100%.

I had hoped my symptoms were a combination of me trying to fight off the bug Eric has been caring around for the last month and the pollen, but I was wrong...

While somewhat completing my pre-vacation preparations and packing I realized (the day before we were due to leave) that there was either a slight mistake on my calendar OR 'Houston we have a problem!'

Okay, so we have a little problem....

After giving up on trying for another child (months ago) it appears we have to come up with another name for our blended family, as we will no longer be the Brady Bunch!!!! Now lets just hope we don't have to go with Eight is Enough!!!!

3/22 Made a quick call to my doctors office to change an upcoming appointment from a regular yearly to prenatal, they inform me before they can make that change I need to come in and do some labwork to make sure I just didn't have a faulty home test. Since we are leaving to go out of town today and my appointment was scheduled for the week after we return from vacation, they were able to squeeze me in at 10 (20 minutes after I called). I quickly throw on some clothes and mascara, brush my teeth, throw my hair in a pony tail, grab Bre (who was home sick), and off we went.

After a short wait, quick trip to the restroom to provide a urine same, and a confirmed pregnancy test, I was handed a two plus month supply of prenatal vitamins, given a quick congratulations and sent back to the front desk to change my appointment.

4/17 Our first official OB appointment. We started our morning off with a quick ultrasound just to verify location of the 'babe' and to verify dates. Thankfully the little turkey (and yes there is just one!) was viewable with a regular ultrasounds, so I didn't have to do a transvag ultrasound, AND we even got to hear the heartbeat.

7 weeks 6 days

I have to be honest, even with two positive confirmations, the ultrasound, and hearing the heartbeat, this still doesn't seem real!

Eric was able to come with me, but unfortunately he had to participate in an interview process at work and had to leave before we met with the doctor. So he ended up leaving right before they called me back to do all my lab work. The office's computers were down today, so my appointment was a little very unorganized! But after a quick weight check (haven't gained anything at this point YAY!), peeing in a cup, and what seemed like an endless blood draw, I was off to a room to met the doctor. As I was waiting, I could hear the staff discussing canceling the rest of the days appointments, including all the patients waiting in their waiting room. Since I had already been in the office for almost an hour and a half, completed all my labs, had all my stats taken, and was in a room, I had hoped the doctor would at least see me and I would avoid having to come back another day.

About 10 minutes later, the doctor did come in and she finish my appointment, although it was quite rushed. So a quick pap and pelvic exam (and I mean the fastest one I have ever had!), breast exam, a few quick responses to my questions, verification of my due date, my appointment was over and I was on my way.

5/15 OB appointment #2. This appointment went much smoother than my first, as I was in and out within 15-20 minutes. I have gained just a little over 1/2 a pound, they actually took my blood pressure this time, which was a little high for me, but because it's still in normal range they weren't too concerned. She spent a few seconds of listening to the 'turkeys' heartbeat and the remainder of the appointment discussing whether or not to do some genetic testing (the main reason why we are really behind on announcing our little 'turkeys' future arrival). Based on several factors, genetic testing is a must (Eric, my doctor, and myself all agree). Due to my age (yeah I am not sharing) and my already high risk of miscarriage, we opted not to do an amniocentesis but will do a high def ultrasound in the next few weeks, followed by additional lab work at my next months appointment. Until we have all of our results, we agree to not share our news, so as of now, no one knows!

Eric and I decided at some point we may not be able to hide the pregnancy, so we are going to tell all the kids in person. Jarom and MyKayla will find out as early as June 10th when we pick them up in Atlanta and we are still working on when we will see Eric's kids next in order to tell them. Hopefully the ultrasound will be done before we see any of the kids (just in case), however the final genetic labwork tests won't be completed until after Jarom and MyKayla arrive, but we are crossing our fingers that everything is and looks good. We are both hoping all the kids will be here for our ultrasound when we find out the sex and maybe we can hide this pregnancy until then!

5/16 This might be lame, but this is the first night I slept all night! Okay midnight to almost 6am, but almost on a nightly basis I am up at midnight, 2:30am, 5am, and then 6:15 when the alarm goes off! You have no idea how excited I am!

6/4 Genetic testing with Sacred Heart Health. To be honest this appointment was joke to me. First I was given the incorrect address and by the time I got to the correct address and checked in it was exactly my appointment time. I then found out they never sent me any of the required paperwork, so I hurried and completed it and turned it back in 10 minutes after my appointment was to start. 20 minutes later I was called back just to 'check me in' which took 20 minutes. The 'check in' process was having a front office person take my weight, escort me to a room where a nurse was waiting, to be asked the exact same info that I had just filled out while she put it on another piece of paper! She then took my pulse and blood pressure and verified I had left a urine sample. To me all of this seemed excessive just to do a detailed ultrasound for genetic testing, but heck it's their office and protocol, so who am I to complain about their process. I was then escorted back to the waiting room, but was told I should be called back immediately because my appointment was before all the other ladies in the waiting room. Boy was she wrong, another 30 minutes and everyone but the 11am appointment was called back, seen and half of them left before I was called back.

The ultrasound tech explained how she would take measurements and then the doctor would come in to discuss the results and discuss any options for genetic testing, IF I wanted to do genetic testing. HUH????? This is the whole reason why I am here!!! She was just as confused as I was, so she talked about amnio (which we already ruled out) and having me come back in a week or two for a blood draw (which I am already doing next week at my doctors office). I explained to her that the only reason why I was here was for a genetic screening. She understood and got started on the ultrasound. I have to say she was one of the better techs I recall ever having, she let us ask questions and even though she wasn't supposed to tell us anything, she gave us some info. Little turkey looked a bit cramped already and seemed to enjoy having his (no we don't know the sex - we tried, but I think its a boy) hands in front of his face, he never did put them in his mouth and the entire time he was in an Indian style sitting position (even though he was on his back), hence why we couldn't verify the sex. We did find out that 'little turkey' weighs 4 ounces with a heart beat of 140 per minute.

The doctor came in after she completed the ultrasound and did his rant about genetic testing (again the only reason why we are here) and stated that everything appears to be perfect, but wanted us to come back in a month or so to do an anatomy ultrasound, which we are doing at my OB between 18-20 weeks. I currently don't have this scheduled as we are working on all the kids schedules to ensure they can all be at that appoinment! But even after I explained I was already having this done with my regular OB, he went ahead and scheduled me an appointment. UGHHHH! So besides the extreme lack of communication and reason for my appointment, I also realized that my high def ultrasound I was supposed to have today was done on a regular ultrasound machine, my 45 minute appointment turned into a two hour appointment, and this possibly unnecessary ultrasound will cost us a pretty penny! But on the positive side, we got two new pics of our little turkey and Eric lost 3 hours of work time (okay that was a bit sarcastic!).

14 weeks 5 days

6/12 OB appointment #3 and additional genetic testing. Today was the basic OB appointment which started with the lovely weight check...ouch! So many road trips and eating crappy fast food over the past few weeks has definitely increased my weight, which my doctor was pleased to see, but I don't think she'd be happy to hear how I put on those few pounds. UGHHH! I also had a blood draw before seeing my doctor, this draw was to test for Down's, spina bifida, and some other birth defects. Since we live in a smaller town, they had to send out my labwork to Birmingham and they don't expect to get my results back for about 3 weeks, which means I won't get these results until my next appointment, so frustrating. Even more frustrating, my doctor didn't have the results from my ultrasounds appointment from last week and after I told her what occurred at my appointment she was just as confused as I was, but told me to hold off on canceling my next appointment with them just in case there was some misunderstanding. She also did a quick heartbeat check...well not so quick little turkey was being a bit uncooperative so it took a bit of time to hear the heartbeat, but once we did things sounded good. So unless I get a call with lab results, my next appointment will be July 10th, starting with another ultrasound for them to look at all the anatomy, and hopefully find out the sex, followed by meeting with my doctor to go over all the past genetic testing results and determine if we can finally share our news!

6/16 Well we had to share our news with some of the kids. Joey is in town for the next few weeks to play on a tournament team up here and Jarom and MyKayla flew in last week. Tomorrow Breanna's Miracle League is having a free event for team members and their families at the local water park and all of a sudden I have a belly, and we are not quite sure how I could pull off hiding the belly in a swimsuit...so as much as we wanted to hold off on telling the kids until they were all together AND we had all of our results, we had to spill the beans.

Jarom, MyKayla, and I were playing DICEcapades and my pawn was in the trivia section. Eric decided he wanted to read the question to me, which I knew instantly what he was up to. Instead of him sharing our news, he was going to 'ask a question' which I would have to respond with the news! Such a brat!!! Thankfully, Joey jumped in to hurry to answer the question (even though he wasn't playing). At first no one got it and I was laughing hysterically, so Eric informed them that they were going to be older siblings, which all of them already are...I think he was a bit nervous to tell them earlier than we had planned, so he had to expand his explanation. We weren't quite sure if the kids were in shock of our news, or they just didn't fully comprehend what they just heard, especially since none of them had even noticed any signs of me being pregnant. I think over the next few days or weeks it will sink in, if not, it will be more real to them after our next appointment since we plan on taking all the kids to the ultrasound so we can all find out the sex of the baby together.

6/24 On Friday, I had missed a call from my doctor, I don't know what it is about Comcast down here, but my phone never rang today! BUT there was a message from her about 11:40am asking to call if I received her message before noon, as their office closed early on Friday's. I got her message at 3:30pm, when I picked up the phone to call her...ugh! After speaking with her today around 1:30pm, I am glad I missed her call. She first went over my ultrasound results from 6/4 and their results and recommendations were no where near what they had told me, but either way there was nothing bad about either results. They recommended to her to do additional lab work (which how they explained it to me was the same lab work I did in her office on the 12th, but low and behold they were different...dang!) and while my ultrasounds looked great, due to previous problems with Ms Bre and a bit of my medical history, they recommended doing a few more diagnostic ultrasounds testing at my next ultrasounds with them July 23rd (so it's not just an anatomy check, as they explained it to me), this will include some anatomy measurements, echocardiogram, and due to my previous medical history, they want to monitor my cervical lining to ensure I can carry full term and not have to be on bed rest or have extra monitoring throughout the remainder of this pregnancy. Regardless, this was good info to know and no new 'surprises' with the results she received. whoooo

I am thinking our conversation is over when her tone changes slightly, she has some other things she'd like to discuss...um okay. I am a bit confused as I know my lab results from the 12th aren't due to come back for at least another week and possibly up to another 3 weeks....but she has them now and there is a slight problem. While many may disagree with some discussions Eric and I made early on in this pregnancy, she is fully aware of our family situation, has full information on Bre, and understands between the two of us, this is baby #7, AND I have been unsuccessful on obtaining a job still. She also understands that at my next appointment is when we find out the sex of the baby (which will be before I meet with her), and that all the kids will be in town and we plan on bringing them to the ultrasound appointment, therefore she had put a rush on my labwork (I didn't know this til today) and one of the test came back positive. Now before anyone (including myself...yes I need to keep reminding myself) jumps to any conclusions, based on my age, she expected a slight positive on this one test...but instead of a 1:110 (or higher ratio) it came back lower...much lower! Per this test I have a 1:45 (or a 2%) chance of having another disabled child. While this doesn't seem high to many people, and some may not even consider a 2% change a real risk, but even my doctor is a bit nervous.

Early in our appointment 'talks' we both decided that an amniocentesis was out of the question unless there was an extreme urgency to do it. Today in our discussion, she still felt that we had another option, another blood test. This new test would test for the same things as an amnio, but on my blood/DNA and not the babies and the results would be so similar that she felt the risk of the amnio still wasn't worth it.

7/2 Genetic ultrasound appointment (previous scheduled for July 23rd), but due to our limited time frame, and maybe even some slight miscommunications on the previous ultrasound, my doctors office and I determined we should move this up to help us all determine what will be the best decision(s) when the final lab results come back...yep still waiting for those! I can say I am a bit stressed out, and for those in my path or cross my path right now, I feel for ya!

10:45ish am we started our ultrasounds. Today we had a different tech from our last visit, who didn't communicate or show us as much, but she did point out parts of the brain, heart, kidneys, arms, legs, and some facial features. This babe loves their hands in front of their face, still haven't caught them sucking any fingers but every tech so far has had to do a little bouncing on my belly to try to get the arms/ hands to move away from the face. This visit seemed to focus more on the echocardiogram than anatomy, even though some key measurements were taken. At this time the placenta is still a touch low, but has moved up (which is a good sign) and they are somewhat positive it will continue to move upward. Just as with our last appointment the doctor stated everything looks great, no abnormalities seen at all, making the doctor believe still this is a perfectly healthy baby. He also tried to get another peak at the sex of this little turkey, and this has to be the most modest kid he's ever seen (his words)! With several attempts at views and trying to get the babe to change positions, the little turkey kept those legs locked. So it appears we have not only a very modest kid, but the little turkey is already made it clear who is in charge!

19 weeks - HI!!!!

Again we discussed additional options for testing and his advice, again, is to do an amniocentesis. Eric and I decided we'd wait to get the latest lab results before making this decision on taking this risky step. We also learned we have an additional 4 weeks (if needed) to make a decision on whether or not to continue with this pregnancy.

1:25pm I received a call from my OB's nurse letting me know my latest lab results were in. Deep down I was expecting her to put me on hold so my doctor could pick up the line, but instead she let me know the tests all came back negative! And while they can't guarantee 100% there won't be any problems, they felt confident in saying 'almost' 100% this babe won't have Down Syndrome! Thank goodness!

7/6 Eric felt the baby kick for the first time. I guess while I was half asleep the little turkey was kicking up a storm and I grabbed Eric's hand and placed it where the turkey was kicking so he could feel it. Honestly I don't really remember doing this, but I am thrilled to have shared my internal beatings with him.

7/10 OB appointment #4 and ultrasound. Both of these seemed a bit rushed and off for my doctors office. The ultrasound was to be over 30 minutes long and include a dvd, but instead we ended up with a 15-20 minute ultrasound and she kept all of the views on her monitor instead of turning on the tv so we could see what she was looking at. She did eventually turn it on when the kids came in to learn the sex of the babe and provided us with 3 pictures...which weren't even really worth getting...just wait, you will see.

The OB appointment was just as short and consisted us just talking for a few minutes and that was only because I had a few questions. She didn't even listen to the heart beat, I guess she got enough from the two second heart beat screening from the ultrasound tech. Overall, what I thought would be a great, fun appointment, especially since things are looking great for this tyke and pregnancy, turned out to be a huge disappointment and a waste of an effort of dragging the kids along. We did find out that our little turkey currently weighs about 12 ounces.

So without further adieu here are our not so great pics from today's appointment.

Creepy looking 20 week profile picture

Can you tell what you are looking at???

  I will give you one final hint...and I'd like to introduce you to....

Alice!!! Just kidding on the name!

7/26 Another ultrasound today (22 weeks)! This appointment and the next one (in 2 weeks) is just to check my cervical lining to ensure this little one is going to stay put for a while longer. So far things are looking good, my cervix has thinned just a touch, but not enough for any concern at this point. The tech today was awesome and took a peek at a few things and attempted to get us a new profile shot, but of course this little turkey was uncooperative. Turns out those contractions I have been having the last two days may have been due to her turning, she is now head down and her cute little face is out of view. Her heart beat was 144 bpm and little chunky is now 1 pound 2 ounces. Her measurements and weight put us at 4-5 days ahead of our Thanksgiving due date. Sadly at this point we still haven't been able to notify all of our family and because of that, all of our friends are still out of the loop of our news, and this post remains a draft.

8/7 We are currently 24 weeks along and hopefully this will be the last ultrasound for the next month as our next one is scheduled with our specialist for Sept 10th. This appointment is like our last, just to a quick check my cervical lining. As for now, everything is looking great, now lets just hope my doctor thinks the same next week when I see her again.  I was able to listen to her heart beat and watch her on the television screen, but I forgot to find out how much she weighed.

Today our little turkey is back in the breech position and as usual, was pretty active during the appointment, which allowed the tech to capture some of her movements in a few pictures!

This was our first picture of the day, the bubble like object you see is the umbilical cord and although she appears to be laying on her back with her knees bent, she is actually in the breech position, her back is on my right side (which she has favored this entire pregnancy) and her feet are on my left side.

Out of all the pictures I received today, this one showed her facial features the best. While it is hard to tell, she had moved her legs from the bent position above to having her feet above her head, which is easier to see in the next picture.

And not only did she move her feet above her head, she was also moving her mouth (which obviously is harder to capture in a picture) and her fingers. With every ultrasound we have had she has always had at least one hand in front of her mouth, but so far she doesn't appear to be a thumb sucker.

Again...or I should say still, some of our family hasn't been notified but will be told this weekend! So hopefully I will finally be able to share our news on here sometime next week!

8/16 OB appointment #5 and glucose testing. My morning started off with drinking that lovely (disgusting) glucose drink and I could tell within minutes of completing it I was going to have an elevated glucose test results, I felt awful! Sure enough my test results were elevated, although the doctor didn't tell me how elevated...and to be honest the more I see her, the less I like her as a doctor. She has always been a quick in and out appointment type of MD, but usually (even though she comes across as annoyed) has answered my questions.

Today though she was beyond rude, maybe she was just having a bad day (it was only 9:30am by the time I left) and I was just getting the butt end of her negativity. Either way, she asked how I was feeling, I tried to tell her how crappy I have been feeling for the last month and a half (ears clogged and draining), how the little turkey NEVER sleeps and how tired I am (I look like I have 2 black eyes kind of tired), and I attempted to ask a few questions regarding my glucose levels along with a few clarifications on my limited travel restrictions, my last US, and to clarify how far along I am versus my US calculations (my LMP, cycles, and the average due date for most women is already off by a week or so). Her response to me, well if you don't feel good you can take Benadryl, Sudafed, and something else...no she never checked to see if I was getting sick or just having allergies, and with all my other questions, her response was "Does it really matter?", UMMMMM I guess not! So I can't tell you how much she weighs, what her current length is, or what her heart beat is. She then escorted me out of my room to hand me my check out sheet and said "See you in four weeks".

I tried to get clarification on my next glucose testing, but she just responded the front desk will schedule it, then said again "See you in four weeks!" Okay, okay, I get the hint. Sadly no one else was much more help, the front desk scheduled my appointment for 4 weeks, then told me to go to the lab to schedule my next glucose test as she handed me my checkout form, I had to ask where the lab was, yeah I guess that's part of an advantage having the RN do all my lab work within the doctors office to not know where it was! Off at the lab, I got my appointment scheduled, didn't get any instructions on what my restrictions are or if there is any prep for that appointment, so this might be a bit interesting! Anywhoo, here it is a few hours later, I still feel like crap (and probably why I am even more annoyed with today's appointment) but the day must now go on.

On a good note, I think we have finally told everyone whether via phone, email, or in person, to finally be able to share our news with everyone...so as of today this long post is going public!