26 & 27 Weeks

Thursday, November 9 - 26 weeks
Good morning from Milwaukee, Brother! We'll be spending the next three days here learning about teaching science with several of my coworkers. I'm really happy that I'm feeling well enough to walk all over for the next few days - there would have been NO way I could make this trip when I was pregnant with your brothers.

You were so squirmy this morning, as soon as I woke up. It was a nice thing to wake up to. :) I'm excited to see what Daddy and Anna get done at home, while I'm gone, on your room. Last week Daddy was able to put drywall on the ceiling, so now he just has to patch the hole in the wall between your room and the kitchen, then I'm hoping we can start painting before he does the wood on the ceiling.

Thursday, November 16 - 27 weeks
We made it to another "viability milestone" this week, according to my app, because your lungs "are developed enough". Your organ systems are mostly developed by now, so the rest of the time will be focused on developing your brain and growing some fat on your little body. The closer and closer we make it to your due date, the more excited I am about bringing you home, and the more it's becoming a reality. You still have lots of growing to do, so stay cozy in there for several more weeks, please.

As I get closer to my third trimester, and since I'm officially a gestational diabetic, they're going to be keeping a much closer eye on both me and Brother. Once I hit 32 weeks, I'll be seen twice a week! One of those days will be a non-stress test and the other will be an ultrasound. Since I'm now on insulin, which seems to be helping, they want to monitor Brother's growth and fluid level, especially as this pregnancy progresses. As long as he's not getting too big, he'll hopefully be able to stay in there for a long time.

I'm supposed to be starting a meal-time insulin (faster acting) with dinner, but I'm waiting on Walgreens (or, most likely, insurance) to tell me it's approved. The overnight insulin I'm on seems to be helping my fasting sugars, especially now since we increased the dose to 8 units before bed. Everyone involved in this process - CF doctor, CF dietician, high risk team, and high-risk OB dietician - have all been communicating really well with each other, keeping my CF in mind and Brother in mind. It's really nice to have support from all sides and I'm glad we're all finally on the same page about insulin. They all tell me that my sugars are basically going to get more uncontrollable as I continue to progress through this pregnancy, and that I'll probably have to continue to increase my insulin dose until Brother is born. It was frustrating at first to see my sugars all over the place, even after eating healthy meals, but I'm glad I'm not doing anything wrong. It's just a combination of baby growing, CF, and pregnancy.

This week, the waddle is in full-effect. Brother is sitting very low and sitting/standing for too long makes me uncomfortable - also, transitioning from sitting to standing, or the other way, is sometimes uncomfortable. I can only imagine what it's going to be like teaching in January with an even bigger baby to lug around, but I know I can handle it.

I'm looking forward to getting more done on Brother's room over Thanksgiving weekend. That's the one time of year where Tim and I have 4 days off together, and we are typically very productive. Brother's room needs a ceiling and some paint on his walls before we can start with the fun part - decorating! I can't wait to get his crib up, start arranging his furniture and washing/organizing his clothes!

Wednesday, November 22 - 27w, 6d
The ceiling coverage began last weekend and will hopefully finish tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to painting the walls in your room because it's going to start making it seem more like "your room" instead of the office still (or as Anna still calls it, my "treatments room").

I started a mealtime insulin on Friday night that seems to be helping. It feels really good to be able to eat what I want now without worrying too much about my sugars. I'm hoping that keeping them in better control will help keep you healthy when you're born. At my last OB appointment, they checked my A1C level and it was 4.6 which is actually lower than it was at the beginning of my pregnancy, so I was very pleased. I'm looking forward to your appointment on Monday because they're finally going to measure you again. I can't wait to see how big you're getting. Your big movements are getting more visible from the outside, and your smaller movements are getting more noticeable throughout the day, even when I'm standing, and you've even had the hiccups a couple times within the last week or two. :)

I just can't wait for you to be here - I can't wait to snuggle you! Bring on the third trimester and let's hope it goes by just as quickly as the last two have!

Anna - Age 3

Anna, Anna, Anna....
I've been updating this blog so much about your brothers and this current pregnancy, that I haven't mentioned too much about you. You've gone through a lot of changes this fall and you've been such a trooper about all of them!

First school picture - priceless!

• You started preschool and you're doing so well!! 

You've been in school for a quarter and a half and I feel like you're already changing so much. You really seem to enjoy school and are always happy to go and have a smile on your face when I pick you up. Daddy and I had your first parent-teacher conference and your teacher had nothing but great things to say about you. You know almost all of your letters, can write your first name, know all of your colors and shapes, and can count objects correctly up to ten. You seem to have Daddy's personality at school - quiet and inquisitive, but that's okay with us. You're social when you're around your friends & cousins outside of school...just like Daddy. :) We're so proud of you and love watching you learn how to make friends and navigate your way through your first year of school. 

• We've had three babysitter changes since the beginning of the school year.

Due to scheduling issues, we're now on your third babysitter for this school year. I think it was harder on Daddy and I than it was on you. We are really proud of the way you've handled all of the changes and are even more proud of your recent behavior. 

• Your first haircut!

I trimmed your hair for the first time the other night! I was cutting Daddy's hair and we joked about cutting yours, too, and then we did. I just trimmed an inch or two off the very back and a less on the sides. It was your "first haircut" and you did really well - just sat there for the most part. You can't really tell that I cut it, but your ends were getting pretty nasty, so I'm glad I did it. 

• I think you're going to be an excellent big sister! 

You've always loved playing with your baby dolls, but lately you've been playing with them a lot more and I think it's because we're talking so much about Brother coming. I can't wait to see the two of you interact together and see how much you love each other. You've been helping Daddy get his room ready and helping me organize his clothes. You love to go shopping for him and always want to pick out cute outfits or fun toys for him. I'm really looking forward to January/February! 

• You've literally grown so much - you've already grown over an inch since your third birthday and gained over a pound. :)
• You are slowly getting out of the tantrums and fits that you were having a few months ago....thank goodness! Bed time has been a lot better for you lately. 
• You love being independent and doing things for yourself - brushing your own teeth, taking a shower by yourself, washing your hair, picking out your clothes every day, getting water from the fridge in your own cup, zipping and buttoning your coats/clothes, packing your lunch...
• You love listening to the Sing! soundtrack every single day in the car. You love to dance, color, draw, write, and paint. 

• You're in swimming again this session, but don't seem as into it as in session's passed. I don't know if it's because you have an older, male instructor, or if you really just hate going under water that much, but sometimes you just don't like to go. Typically once you're there, you love it and don't want to leave. Your teacher is wonderful with you, extremely gentle and patient, so I'm tempted to keep you in next session, too. I think it's really good for you, plus it gives you something to do each week. 

You started off three with some not-so-fun behaviors, but you seem to slowly be getting better. It's fun having conversations and playing with you. You're fun to be around and I love watching you grow! ~Love, Mommy (or "momma" as you've been calling me lately)

24 & 25 Weeks

Saturday, October 28 - 24w, 2d
We've made it to "viability" gestational age. I had my last cervical check on Thursday and everything looked good. Brother looked completely squished in there, but the tech assured me that he still has plenty of fluid and was just in a weird position. Even though Brother could be viable if he were born now, that thought is terrifying. He's still too little and has a lot more development to go. I feel like this entire pregnancy has been "one week at a time" and I'm still in that mentality. Although, as the weeks progress, I get a little bit more confident that we are going to be bringing this little guy home with us later this winter.

As you can tell from this week's picture Daddy is making progress on your bedroom. Two weekends ago he tore the ceiling out and then last weekend he put in new support beams. As soon as he gets the brakes fixed on the truck then he'll be able to go buy some drywall to patch the wall leading to the kitchen. Once the ceiling and walls are done, we'll be able to paint and then finally start decorating. :)

Monday, November 6 - 25w, 4d
You're so wiggly this week! Your movements have been getting stronger and a bit more noticeable from the outside when I'm laying down or reclining. It's fun to feel you stretch out, roll around, flip, and flail your arms and legs. You're getting bigger and heavier which is making me a little uncomfortable when I'm standing for a while or get up after sitting for long and I'm also noticing that I'm starting to waddle...

I started insulin last week - been on it a week now. I've been struggling to keep my post-dinner and fasting sugars in control, so I felt it was the best. The dietician at the OB's office told me it's basically going to be harder to control with diet the further I get in this pregnancy. Between my CF, your placenta growing, and my hormones, my sugars are going to continue to rise until you're born. In order to keep you safe, we all decided that I needed to start insulin at night. My CF doctor and CF dietician don't want me to cut carbs or anything out of my diet, so that I'm still getting the proper amount of calories, but I'm noticing that carbs really do make my sugars spike, so I'm trying to make a balance. It's been tough and I'm guessing my insulin need will also increase as the pregnancy progresses. It's all worth it though, whatever I can do to keep you safe and to keep my hunger satisfied -- I'm constantly hungry, still!