The latest on Joshua

I talked with my doctor on Thursday and he was very relieved that I have come to the decision that a c-section is going to be the safest way for me to deliver Joshua. When my doctor was reviewing my chart last Tuesday he saw Joshua's head size and was really hoping that I would change my mind and go for the c-section. I thought this might mean I could have Joshua sooner but it doesn't! Unless I go into labor on my own, I will have him him at 39 weeks which is the beginning of November!

Samantha keeps asking us when Halloween is because she says Joshua is going to be born on Halloween. We told her back in March that he would be born around Halloween because she was asking us everyday if Joshua was coming out yet! It has kept her from asking until all the Halloween decorations showed up in the stores!! It is going to be a long month for all of us.

My BIG baby

I had a big ultrasound on Thursday (yesterday) where they measured Joshua to make sure his growth is on track. Well, lets just say there is one part of Joshua that is a little bigger than the rest!! My baby has a HUGE head! His head is measuring 37 weeks while the rest of him measures 32 or 33 weeks. I am not sure what all this means because the doctor had to go do an emergency c-section before I was done with my monitoring. According to the due date the doctor is using I was 33 weeks when I went in. So, everything looks good except the head! The ultrasound tech was also looking at the heart for a long time so I hope that doesn't mean something is wrong. I don't want to have to go through all the cardiologist appointments with Joshua that we went through with Andrea. For those who don't know, Andrea had a hole in her heart that was 4 mm when she was born. It slowly closed and at the two year appointment it was fully closed but she does still have an irregular heartbeat and a murmur. Both of which she should grow out of.

Fetal Monitoring

For those of you who are a little confused about all my doctor's appointments I guess I should explain!! I have hypothyroidism (under active thyroid) which puts me in the high risk category during pregnancy. If your thyroid levels are too low then it can cause the baby to stop growing and you have a higher risk of your baby dying at the end of your pregnancy. That said, I have an ultrasound every time I go to the doctor during my whole pregnancy so they can measure the baby and make sure his growth is on track. During the last 8 weeks they have me go in twice a week for fetal monitoring. They hook me up to the monitors (like the ones they use in the hospital when you are in labor) and watch the heart beat for about 20 minutes. They look for the heart beat to go up and down so many times to make sure the baby is not under stress. After this, they do an ultrasound to measure the amniotic fluid to make sure it is okay. They also measure the baby once a week to make sure that he doesn't get more than two weeks behind where he should be. I had to do this with Andrea too and everything always worked out okay! I only had one bad monitoring and they just had me come back the next day to do it again. I think that had to do with all the heart issues she's had. It just gets to be a pain to go to the doctor twice a week (especially with two kids that have to go to babysitters).

I had my first appointment yesterday and everything looked okay. Joshua was sleeping so they did have to use the buzzer and wake him up so that his heartbeat would change some! My amniotic fluid has always been good so I don't have to get their drink more water lecture. I did find out during the ultrasound yesterday that Joshua already has hair on the back of his head! I have the picture to prove it (along with a million other pictures from all the ultrasounds)!! On Thursday the doctor is going to measure everything to make sure that his growth is on track. With how active this kid is I am sure that it will all turn out okay!

Football Season

As most people know I am married to the biggest sports fan I know. That isn't necessarily a good thing!! Lucky for us, BYU is doing good so far and has won their games!! Jeff has also been so busy at work that he really hasn't had a lot of time for anything else. I must say that this has been one of the better football seasons we have been through. Sammy and Andrea really like it. They think it is fun to wear their BYU shirts and do the cheer with their dad. They don't like to watch the whole game, but they think it is fun to have someone come over every Saturday to watch the game.

Sammy has really opened up at preschool this week! I am really proud of her because she has only had three days of school so far and she is doing so good. I have been really worried about her starting preschool because of how shy she is but it has been great. Andrea has a hard time when she is gone but I try to do something with Andrea that will take her mind off things. I especially try to do this with her on Thursday because we don't watch Aaron on Thursdays so she is all alone.

I start my crazy life on Monday. I go in every Monday and Thursday to be monitored and on Thursdays I see the doctor. This is going to make the last couple months long!! Here's to hoping everything goes good with the end of the pregnancy.

Please Come EARLY!

So I got some disappointing news at the doctor on Thursday. He doesn't like to induce labor...that's sucks because I have been induced both times!! I hope he is right when he says he can make me go into labor. I am still hoping this baby comes early. I think 36 weeks sounds good!! Now we will just have to play the waiting game with my big headed baby with chubby cheeks (pretty sad he already has chubby cheeks and I have 2 months left).

Sammy started preschool. The first thing she said when she came out was "I didn't hit anybody mom!" I just laughed. We had a big talk about being nice at school. She had a good time and she loved it. Now if I could get her to do her homework without getting frustrated life would be good. She is supposed to trace letters to spell her name and keeps getting upset because she isn't covering all the dots!!! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!! What do you do? She can write her name herself but now I have to force her to trace it correctly and get so frustrated she is crying. Hopefully we can get her to finish before Tuesday.

10 Weeks and Counting

I can finally count the number of weeks left in my pregnancy on my hands!! While I am still holding out for an October baby, November isn't that much longer. I guess I have been lucky with this pregnancy in that I had two weeks where I felt great! The rest has been pretty crappy.

Samantha and Andrea have been changing so much lately. Sammy starts her first day of preschool tomorrow! She is very excited...we'll see if she is still excited when it is time for mom to leave tomorrow. Ever since she turned four she thinks that she can do anything because she is four now. Although, she is a little obsessed with getting married and is disappointed because we told her she couldn't get married until she is at least 20! Andrea has been doing really good lately. She has had to go to the babysitter a lot with all my doctor's appointments. She usually plays well after I leave, or so I am told. I have even had to leave her by herself a few times when Sammy had her summer camp activities. I am glad she is doing so well because I start my twice a week monitoring in two weeks.

Joshua is growing well! His head is big but if you have ever seen my babies that won't surprise you. He is measuring a little smaller like Andrea did but we'll see what he does in the next ten weeks. Sammy and Andrea enjoy talking to him and patting my belly. He is also a very active baby. He is constantly moving like Samantha was. That worries me a little because Sammy was not the easiest baby!! I was hoping for another calm sleepy baby like Andrea. :) I am still hoping that he will be a great baby! We start doing my twice a week non-stress tests and monitoring in two weeks. That is always so much fun when the doctor is 30 minutes away and I have two kids to find babysitters for. I think I have it all figured out thanks to great friends and a babysitting coop! Let's hope it all works out!