Andrey Update

Andrey, Nate and I saw the Perinatologist this morning.  Andrey's cyst is still there, and has grown a bit.  It also changed shape, and is not looking as circular anymore.  At it longest point it measures about 3 cm.  We were pretty bummed to learn this.  After our last appointment (where the cyst got smaller) I was hoping we would come in today and learn it was smaller yet or even gone.  I know the Lord can completely remove this cyst before she is born, but I also know He may not.  It's a battle in my heart to come to a place of acceptance with this.  Our care is officially being changed over to the specialists practice, and we will no longer see our regular OB.  We will also for sure be delivering at P/SL downtown instead of Littleton.  This is to ensure we are at the best hospital for a high risk pregnancy.  It's where the surgeon works.  I don't want to deliver there - and have some random doc I've never met deliver her.  But it's what's best for the babe, and that's my number one priority. 

My heart is heavy.  I am overwhelmed.  

On a positive note, Andrey looks really healthy otherwise.  She is growing well!  According to the ultrasound measurements she weighs 5 lbs 9 oz, which is perfect for her gestational age.  Her heart, kidneys, brain, etc. all look great.  We got to check our her little face in 3D again.  She's got some good cheeks coming in, and big lips!  I just absolutely love this little girl.  She is the best, most terrifying, exhilarating, blessing I could ever imagine. 

My heart is full.  I am overcome with love. 

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I'm Alive - It's True!

I'm alive, but it's not pretty friends.  I've been battling a sinus infection for six weeks now.  It provides me with a daily, almost non-stop headache.  Dizziness and visual problems.  And extreme fatigue!  I'm completely pooped.  I'm on my second course of antibiotics, and praying they will solve this madness.  It's really overwhelmed me and put me in a funk.  I feel like my cup was full before this, and them someone threw my full cup in the ocean.  Feel sorry for me yet?  :)

I had my family baby shower on Saturday and it was wonderful!  I felt so blessed to have many people come and celebrate Andrey with me.  Now that I'm done with baby showers I can officially finish purchasing the things I need.  I can finish the nursery, install the car seat, tour PSL, set up the pack-n-play, wash clothes, etc.  It will be wonderful to get all those things done.   

Finally, I have three weeks of work left.  Woo hoo!  I can't wait to be done with work.  I can get a lot of the above done.  I hope to rest, read and prepare to never rest or read again. 

Prayer Requests:  While I have your attention I might as well, right?

• The cyst goes away!  We go back to the doc to see it 12/16.  We are desperate for a healthy baby girl!
• My health.  Pray I feel better ASAP!!
• That I daily put my trust in the Lord.  I feel so much peace when I give my fears and worries to Him. 
• Transition to one income.  It's a little scary.

Smoochies!

Baby Shower!

You know it's getting close to B-Day when you have a baby shower.  I loved my shower.  So many people, so much support, so much attention!  My kind of day!

My delicious and adorable cake.  Ignore the fact that Andrey's name was wrong.  They wrote Audrey instead.  It didn't change the fact that the cake tasted great!

My faboo hostess, Keely.  See how we looked at each other with such adoration!

My friend Megan flew into town from Texas!  It was wonderful to see her, and incredibly sweet of her to come!  She's due in March.

It was a wonderful day filled with some of my favorite people!  I'd have many more pictures had my camera battery not died.  Terrible timing!

Thank you all for coming and for the wonderful gifts.  I felt so loved and blessed to have you there.  Andrey has so many people in her corner already. Have a fatty and safe Thanksgiving! :)

I Can't See My Toes!

I didn't realize how big I was until we took some pictures last night.  I think Nate had to take about 15, before I felt satisfied.  I changed shirts several times. 

A few from week 29, butternut squash.

Nate is all about me having bare belly pictures.  So these are always taken for him.

When he takes to long to push the button, this is what the picture looks like.  

My "normal" picture.  Always important. 

I've been feeling like I'm completely unprepared for a baby.  I know you are thinking "you'll never be prepared".  I'm aware that I won't be fully prepared...but I'm really not ready for Andrey to come home.  I have nothing I need (can't wait for baby showers!) and am way behind on my reading.  When I think about her coming home, I feel a little panicked.  Am I ready for this?  Shouldn't I have to take a test or something?   We are under the impression that I will be induced a few weeks early, so that the specialist can be there for her delivery.  I'm almost 30 weeks, and that means I'll probably be having a baby in 8 weeks.  I've never been more excited and terrified for something! 

Please continue to pray for Andrey.  We met with the surgeon on Monday and he said that if the cyst stays the same (size and location) it's good.  He will have a much easier time removing it, and there is less chance for damage.  Obviously, we want it to go away completely.  But if that doesn't happen, please pray it remains on the back of her neck, and doesn't grow!  As always, we appreciate your prayers for our girl.  She is so loved, and blessed already!

Doctors Galore!

In the past few weeks I have seen a lot of doctors.  So many that I've been thinking a lot about their personalities, advice, ability to really listen and more.  Let's review:

Dr. L.B. - OBGYN - Female.  I love her.  She hears me, and is concerned about my well being as well as Andrey's.  She refers to herself by first and last name, not Dr. _____.  I think she's a real person.  We see her at every regular OB check up. 

Dr. A.A. Perinatologist - Female.  I REALLY love her.  I think she is smart, kind and funny.  She takes time with me.  I've called her in panic mode twice and she always calls right back.  She is calm and informative, while not overwhelming.  She will be delivering little Andrey come January.  We couldn't be in better hands.  She also refers to herself by first and last name. 

Dr. T.L. ER Doctor - Male.  This guy was old, and kind.  I'm not sure he really heard anything I said to him.  I waited about 6 hours for him to come see me, and was dismissed fairly quickly.  Not a bad guy, just not what I needed.

Dr. K.B. Neurologist - Female.  This lady was C.O.L.D. when I first met her.  I was so nervous after about 10 minutes with her.  I felt like she wanted me to remember EVERY detail of every headache I'd had since birth.  And when I couldn't, she was irritated.  She did warm up to me, but it was slow.  She refers to herself as Dr. ______.  No first name here!

Dr. J. A. Family Practice - Male.  Great personality!  This guy made me laugh and feel comfortable talking to him.  The downside to this was it did make me question whether he was hearing me.  But I never felt like he was inconvenienced by seeing me, and I was there on a Friday close to 4:00. 

Dr. S. R. Pediatric Surgeon - Male.  This guy is the cream of the crop.  People come from all over the country to have him preform surgery on their kids.  We are honored and blessed he lives in our state!  He was honest, detailed and talked to us like adults.  That's nice because we look like we're 10.  I asked him about 367 questions, and he patiently answered them all.  If your baby needs surgery, he's the guy!

Dr. L. J. Opthamologist - Female.  Really nice, took a lot of time to help me.  My eyes have been really messed up, and she made sure to listen to everything I said.  She tried several lenses on me, and wanted me to see as best as I could.  She actually explained why I see the way I see.  Really great doctor!

After all these visits, I think I like doctors more than I realized.  I think they sometimes have NO idea what to say, but that's okay.  All in all, it's really quite wonderful to live in a country where we have specialists in every field at our fingertips. 

She's a Growin'

Baby Andrey is definitely growing!  We missed a few weeks of pictures due to the stress of everything.  But Nate quickly reminded me we still need to be recording my/her rapid growth. 

Here's a few weeks ago at 23 weeks.  We didn't know what a papaya was, or what it looked like.  So I drew what I thought it should look like.  How did I do?

This picture was taken last night, at 25 weeks and 3 days.  I usually take the bump picture on Thursday's.  This, my friends, is an eggplant.  It feels really weird and it creeps me out.  Turns out I don't know much about fruits and veggies unless they are VERY common.  Like, I definitely know what an apple is! 

We are so in love with this baby!  Please keep her in your prayers.  We see the specialist next Thursday. 

Still

We're still praying.  We're still scared.  We're still hopeful, still excited to have a baby.  But with all that's been going on, we haven't taken much time to be still.

"Be still and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10

I find a lot of comfort in that verse.  There is nothing I can do to help this situation.  I can't eat something different, or go on bed rest, or stand on my head.  If I could do something, I would!  But I can't.  My daughter is in the hands of God.  And that is honestly terrifying and incredibly comforting at the same time.  It's terrifying because I struggle to let go of my desire to control, to do something.  More than it being terrifying though, it's comforting and peace giving to know who is in control.  I'm trusting God probably for the first time in my life.  In a real and bumpy way.  It's not consistent, but it's real trust.  I find that when I remind myself to "be still" I remember He is God.  Nothing is impossible for Him.  Nothing!

I'm super excited to share that we have chosen a name for our little jumping bean (she's quite the mover and shaker in my belly)!  Her name is:

Andrey Grace

Isn't it cute?  We love it!

Our next appointment with the specialist is two weeks from today.  As we approach that date, please continue to pray for our girl.  Pray that it's God's will for complete healing.  We know He can remove this cyst from Andrey.  Pray that Nate and I will take time to be still.  We appreciate the love and support you have all given us.  It's amazing to see people come together to help us "bear our burdens". 

Becoming a Mom Means Worrying Like One

I became a real mom last week.  I know my baby GIRL (score!  I love baby girls!!) isn't here yet, but...she is here.  She's inside of me.  She's poking me, kicking and turning all over the place.  She is real.  I never realized I'd love her this much before she was born.  She's made me a mom.

We learned at our big ultrasound that Baby Girl Pumm (BGP) has a cyst on her neck.  Her lymphatic system isn't draining properly and it's collecting in the form of a cyst.  We were told she had a 50% chance of having chromosomal abnormalities, namely Turner's Syndrome.  We were told the cyst could get worse and "leak" to other areas of her body ultimately costing her her life.  We were told it might not leak and she would have to have it surgically removed two days after birth.  We were told that surgery isn't a guarantee the cyst is gone and she might have multiple surgeries.  We were told it might just go away "on it's own".  We are scared.

We prayed.  We saw a specialist who did an amniocentesis to check for chromosomal abnormalities.  While waiting for the results we turned to a God who never turns away from us.  He is everything to us, and without Him we would be nothing.

The results came in.  NO chromosomal abnormalities!

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.  Ephesians 3:20 (The Message)

We know the Lord heard our prayers and the prayers of our family and friends.  I can't explain the immense gratitude I feel towards Him.  What a big God we serve.  He is mighty to save.  What a blessing!  We ask that you continue to diligently pray for BGP.  Pray for ultimate healing on her tiny body.  Pray that the cyst does just go away "on it's own".  If it does, we know it was God's will for her.  Please pray it does not leak at all!  Pray. Pray. Pray.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me,
       for in you my soul takes refuge.
       I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
       until the disaster has passed. Psalm 57:1

Check out the YouTube video below.  Great song by Hillsong called Mighty to Save.  I believe it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-08YZF87OBQ

Evidence

As I was looking through some old pictures, I found a large amount of evidence.  Evidence of who Nate and I are.  The truth.  The way we look at life and how we live is what really makes us "us".  Some say we are really goofy.  I deny this, and here is my proof:

We are classy.  When one is given a robe, one must wear said robe and be proper. 

We value and understand art. We copy the artistic representations we see and make them part of us.

Me at The Louvre in Paris.

Nate in Acupolco.

 

We salute the waters.  Only a fool would think being in the ocean is a joke.  It's a serious place that deserves our respect.

We see and take every opportunity to take framable pictures of ourselves.  Again, classy.

We have studied the correct way to take care of a child, and follow those rules to the moon! 

Nate and I are boring people.  Except when we aren't boring.  We love each other.  We love life and our dog.  I'm so thankful that God gave me my perfect match.

Farewell USA - Hello Oz!

Our dear, lucky, parents of twins, kindhearted friends are moving to Australia!  This is definitely how they roll.  I've moved before too you know.  I've lived in several cities within 60 miles of each other.  Therefore, I completely know what it's like to move to another country.  I could write a book.  Anyway, we had a going away party for them a few weeks back.  It was a night of laughter and tears.  They will be missed!


It's a challenge to get everyone looking at the same camera at the same time. 

The whole group. 

Best of luck down under Mike and Alli.  We miss you and your family already!

Some very important Australian slang:

Ace! : Excellent! Very good! 

Cat's piss, as mean as : mean, stingy, uncharitable  

Footy : Australian Rules football 

Never Never : the Outback, centre of Australia  

Too right! : definitely! 

and my personal favorite:

Wobbly : excitable behavior ("I complained about the food and the waiter threw a wobbly")

My Melon

No, my melons are not growing, my MELON is though!  No not my brain (or my head circumference).  It's the baby people!  Just the baby is growing!  This is very good news of course.  I'm loving all the changes I see each week as little BPu gets bigger and stronger. 

Week 20 - Cantaloupe

I know some ladies melons are the size of cantaloupes.  So I wanted to see what that would look like on me. It wouldn't work. 

Bella is always around for our weekly photo shoot.  She licks each fruit or veggie we use in order to approve.  Here she is with the cantaloupe!  They are almost the same size. 

Off to the weekend activities!

Halfway There!

I'm so excited to be 20 weeks along!  That is, until I think about how long 20 weeks is...then I realize how far I have to go.  Dogs are only pregnant for 2 months.  Do they know how lucky they are? (Don't remind me that they live much shorter lives, that's not what we're talking about here.)  Okay and the opossum is prego for 12-13 days!  So what if they have to finish out the process in a pouch.  Crazy marsupials.  I've been pregnant for 5 long months and I still have basically 5 more to go.  I'm going to be a house.  I know it's all worth it in the end when you get to meet your prize.  I'm willing to wait, just not patiently.

19 weeks - pumMango

I made a killer mango salsa with that sucker after I nursed it.  I've never cut a mango before.  It's a mess! 

Today I have an appointment for my 20 weeker.  I do not get to find out the sex until week 22, which is not good for the patience problem I struggle with.  Any guesses on what I'm having?

I've Never Won a Stick of Gum

But I did win a trip to Lincoln City, Oregon!  Yes, friends, I did.  My job sent me and my man out to the OR coast for a short weekend, all expenses paid (except for the gum I bought for the airplane ride...cheapo's).  We stayed in a room that opened right out to the beach so we could listen to the ocean at night.  We took a limo to dinner.  That was so our style.  We slept in late, and I had fish and chips for breakfast.

This is from a view from our balcony.  Love the big bad rocks!

The beach was littered with driftwood.

Nate and I usually try to match our clothes.  We're one step away from matching jogging suits. 

We pulled off the road traveling south a few times to have a look around.  This is one of my new favorite places.  Beautiful colors!

Mr. Pumm bought me a new camera lens this year.  It has an incredible zoom.  Each time I walked away from him, I'd "zoom stalk" him.  He's so cute.

It was uber foggy out when we went to check out this lighthouse.  Made for an eerie picture, ya?

On our way back to Portland we stopped here for some jam and smoothies!

Nate took a leak on their veggies.  Just kidding!  But he better be careful when the "zoom stalk" is out.  You never know what I'll catch...

We're pretty sure that was our last trip before BPu shows up.  It was a good one indeed but we were more than happy to return to sunny Colorado.  I love me some vitamin D!

Procrastin-lazy-ation

“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday and avoiding today.” – Wayne Dyer


I'm 19 weeks and one day pregnant today!  In honor of that I'm posting my 18 week picture.  Makes sense right?  You see, I take my weekly belly bump picture halfway through the week.  So this 18 weeker was really taken on 18 weeks and 4 days.  It's what I do and you'll have to deal. 

Week 18 - Sweet Potato (SP's are really ugly, which is why I'm holding it like it's diseased) 

Then I realized it's supposed to represent my baby. Hence the cradling.  Awww... look at my little Sweet Pummtato. 

Last night was the first night I KNEW I felt Baby Pumm (BPu) move.  Little BPu gave me a few nudges that didn't feel like anything I had felt before.  It was awesome!  I screamed calmly called for Nate to come in and have a feel for himself.  After 4.7 seconds of him waiting for more movement he left.  We'll work on that. 

P.S.  I know it's time for a hair appoint okay.  Back off. 

Baby's 1st Plane, Trolly, Ferry and Bus Ride

At 7 weeks pregnant Nate and I decided to head out to San Francisco.  We always hear about it being a magical place that "you just have to see"!  Also, we eat a lot of Rice-A-Roni and we felt we owed it to San Fran to have a look see. 

We loved taking the trolley every day.  Nate really liked how when he leaned out too far the "driver" would yell at him to get back in.  He tested several drivers to make sure they were all consistent.  They were.

Despite all the modes of transportation available, we walked a lot.  I was battleing a bad case of every-second-of-the-day sickness.  We took several brakes, and stopped for emergency food about every hour.

In an effort to help my queasy stomach we boarded a bumpy ferry towards The Rock.  Seeing Alcatraz was something on our "must do" list.  It was a very beautiful island with a lot of interesting history.

We saw the Golden Gate Bridge, which is NOT golden by the way.  It was a total disappoint to get there and see it's red.  It was, however, very big, quite sturdy (despite what the Mr. thought) and impressive!

The bridge shook a little bit while we walked across it.  This freaked Nate out.  He thought being close to the ground would keep him safe.  He got many funny looks, but he made if off alive!

Our last day there we took another comfortable and easy on my puker ride over to Sausalito.  This was by far the highlight of the trip for me.  It was a cute and beautiful small city.  We stayed for hours and visited local shops, bought candy and ice cream, and lounged in the grass.

San Fran taught us many things about life and people.  We learned about homeless people who are honest on their cardboard signs ("Need money for weed").  We learned that we are willing to push small children out of the way to get a better look at the sea lions.  We learned that sea lions are not seals, but we still don't know the difference between the two.  We learned that some things are famous and no one knows why.  But most of all we learned that God can still be in a city of cement and fog.  He was, and is, everywhere.  Thankfully! 

Pregnant Fruits

There is this totally inaccurate, week by week comparison of the size of your baby to a type of fruit.  I love it!  Each week I learn how big my baby is.  How much it weighs.  What's happening with it developmentally.  And what size fruit it is!  "The Nate" and I decided to take a picture of me growing weekly with said fruit.  I'll include some of my favorites to date.

Week 8 - Grape (it's in my right hand)

 Week 9er - Limer

Week 11 - Plum Pumm

Week 14 - Lemon

Week 17 - Large Onion

I've learned a few lessons about taking these weekly pictures. 
1.  My cheapo camera used to take these photos sucks.
2.  Don't take the pictures with your shirt up. 
3.  Maybe look in the mirror before taking the picture (see onion picture).
4.  It's fun to take the picture straight on, but you can't really see anything from that angle.  Duh.
5.  When waiting for your husband to take the picture don't make stupid faces.  That's about the time he realizes how to push the button.