First, Peaches.
Peaches (also known as belly-bumbler, belly-friend, or fetus) is growing well. I had a doctor's appointment Tuesday, as I am now 18 weeks pregnant. The baby is doing well--I saw a healthy looking spinal cord, brain, and heart (or at least they are present, as sonograms are not horribly detailed); we heard the beating heart, saw some kicking movements. It was nice.
Because the baby was breech, sitting cross-legged in my hips, we were not able to gender quite yet. Sonograms cannot see through my pelvis bone, and with little legs crossed, there wasn't a clear genital view. Hopefully, next Tuesday at my diagnostic 3-D ultrasound, we will be able to get a more definitive answer.
The diagnostic ultrasound next week with my specialist obstetrician is to look for abnormalities--Down Syndrome, ill-formed spine, heart, brain, or organs; amniotic fluid levels (low could mean a urinary blockage; too much could mean that I have developed gestational diabetes early and it is affecting the fetus)...things of that nature.
Because people are curious--no, Michael and I are not checking to see if there is anything wrong with the baby so that we can terminate the pregnancy before it progresses any further. If the fetus is healthy and viable, of course we are going to keep it. The reason we would want to know if there was anything amiss is so that we can adjust accordingly. If the baby has down syndrome, I would like to have those extra months beforehand so that I can research and know what to expect and how to deal with an infant with a mental disability. It also gives me the opportunity to figure out what services are available to us to help us give our baby the best opportunities in life; what we qualify for, what we don't, and what Michael and I need to budget to accommodate those expenses. I would like to get in touch with the pediatrician and other specialists to figure out exactly what we can do for the baby to fix any physical problems, such as surgeries to repair a blocked urethra or a damaged/incomplete/nonworking organ.
Others say that they don't want to know, and more power to them...but for me, the more time I have to prepare, the better I can do by my child.
Now, my Emerald =)
Emerald is doing just great. She is popular at school, and gets along with all the kids and her teachers. Her speech therapy is going so great, and her talking is getting more and more clear. The best part is how developed her imaginative play is getting. She tells such great stories, and turns everything into an adventure.
With Gabriel, she is irreplaceable. I have had a bad cold for nearly three weeks and I break out into a coughing fit whenever I try and sing; so Emerald has stepped up and started soothingly singing "You Are My Sunshine" to him and stroking his hair whenever he is stressed. She has learned all the signs that he needs and tries to interest him in watching the DVD "Signing Time". Whenever Gabriel needs to sign to get something, she shows him a few times on herself, and does hand-over-hand if he needs more encouragement. Because of her, he has recently learned the new sign 'water' and is starting to sign more unprompted.
Emerald could not be more excited about having a new baby brother or sister. If you ask her, she wants another sister like Gabriel (lol) and her name should be Patti or Curly, her name suggestions so far. To show me how well she would take care of "her baby", she shows me how well she can take care of Cooper and Maddy, her dolls. She strolls them all over the house, gives them bottles and pacifiers, pushes them in the swing, and puts them down for naps.
Not everything is great--she is growing whiny and starting to get very selfish with toys and what we should watch; her and Gabriel fight frequently. But overall, she is a happy, healthy, wonderful little girl, and Michael and I are very very proud of her.
So that's what is going on with our other children. Gabriel isn't getting all the attention or isn't all we are focusing on--right now, he is needing more special attention, but we are providing every opportunity in our abilities to every one of our little blessings.
~Andie~
No comments:
Post a Comment