Last week we had our final (hopefully) appointment with the high risk / super cervix measuring doc.  The measurement remained the same from when the original shortening occurred.  The doc felt comfortable that this would probably be the status quo for the rest of pregnancy.  The only thing that could drastically reduce the size of the cervix quickly, would be labor.  We got a couple more snapshots, and he sent us on our way.  We graduated from another doc!! Woo Hoo!!

 Now on to Chooch!!

How far along? 28 weeks 3 Days!

How Big Is Choochie? Choochie is now about 2.5 pounds and almost 16 inches long, the size of a Chinese Cabbage.  She’s busy adding new skills such as blinking to an already impressive repertoire of tricks like coughing, sucking, hiccuping, and taking practice breaths. Choochies sleep now includes the REM (rapid eye movement) phase — and that means she could be dreaming already.  Though her lungs are nearly fully mature, she still has plenty of growing to do.

Sleep?  Jess dreads the time at night when we go to bed!!

Movement? Sometimes Choochie looks like she’s going to jump right out of Jess’ belly!!

Food cravings?Bar Pie, Chicken Parm, Chicken Fraincaise, Gatorade (red), Pink Lemonade, Water, any type of sweets!!!!

Gender 

Milestones? We are officially in the third trimester!

Emotions: Ups and Downs!!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here is a couple stills from the session 

 That is definitely a experience I will never forget.  It will be pretty cool to show Choochie when she gets older too!!

The last couple weeks have been pretty quiet.  I had some ups and downs and a little (another) injury, but I will live.  As for Jess, she’s doing good.  She is totally tired all the time, but trucks right along!!  She’s a trooper!!

Now on to Choochie!

How far along? 27 weeks 2 Days!

How Big Is Choochie? Choochie is about the size of a head of cauliflower, fifteen inches, and more than two pounds!  Choochie can recognize our voices now!  Her muscle tone is gradually improving, and her lungs are capable of breathing air but if the Choochie was born now, she would need medical assistance to breathe!

Maternity clothes?  Everything Maternity!!

Sleep?  Jess dreads the time at night when we go to bed!!

Movement? Sometimes Choochie is out of control, and others she just rolls around.  She has taken an affinity to kicking me in the face.  She won’t move when my hands are there, but as soon as i put my face there, POW!!!!

Food cravings? Bagels, Grilled Cheese, Tomato soup noodles, Gatorade (red), Pink Lemonade, Water, any type of sweets!!!!

Gender – confirmed again this week.  I thinks it safe to paint the nursery now!

Milestones? Choochie has moved on to a whole new growth chart this week.  No more crown to rump, it’s head to toes!! I think Jess is definitely getting the Braxton Hicks contractions now as well!!

Emotions: Not too bad this week, we did have one minor episode yesterday, but the problem was solved, and all is well!!

She’s beautiful, isn’t she? I have to say, it’s the most amazing thing I have ever seen! Jess and I love her so much.  Every day that goes by, is another day closer to meeting her. 

On to the stats

How far along? 26 weeks 3 Days!

How Big Is Choochie? Choochie is as tall as an English hothouse cucumber (yeah, I have no clue what that is either!), weighs a full two pounds and measures 14 plus inches.  This week, her eyes, which until now were developing under fused eyelids, start to open. She might even be able to see bright lights placed by Jess’ belly.  She definitely jumps for loud noises!

Maternity clothes?  Everything Maternity!!

Sleep?  Jess dreads the time at night when we go to bed!!

Movement? Movement is getting stronger, and we can even stimulate movement with sounds and touching!

Food cravings? Grilled Cheese, Tomato soup noodles, Gatorade (red), Pink Lemonade, Water, any type of sweets!!!!

Gender

Milestones? 

Emotions: Been a rough week, but we are getting through it together!!

How far along? 25 weeks!

How Big Is Choochie? Choochie  is growing by leaps and bounds, reaching 13 inches in length and passing the pound and a half mark. Under her skin, capillaries are forming and filling with blood and by week’s end, air sacs (also lined with capillaries) will develop in her lungs.  The lungs are developing surfactant, a substance that will help them expand after birth. Choochies nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, are starting to open, and her vocal chords are getting ready to roar.

Maternity clothes?  Everything Maternity!!

Sleep?  Sleep sucks this week!

Movement? Lots!!! 

Food cravings? French Toast (apparently I make good french toast), Gatorade (red), Pink Lemonade, Water, any type of sweets!!!!

Gender

Milestones? 6 months in!!

Emotions: Emotional roller coaster!!

How far along? 24 weeks 5 Days!

How Big Is Choochie?  Choochie is about 12 inches long and weighs one and a one quarter pounds, gaining steadily at a rate of six ounces per week. Much of that weight comes from accumulating baby fat, as well as from growing organs, bones, and muscle. Those little ears of hers are getting sharper and can hear very loud sounds, from a yapping dog (Keena loves to bark!) to a jackhammer. Also by now, Choochies face is almost fully formed, complete with eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair.

Maternity clothes?  Everything Maternity!!

Sleep?  Had a couple of good nights in a row (except for last night) !

Movement? This little one is a kicker, she even kicked me in the face a couple days ago!! 

Food cravings? Gatorade (red), Pink Lemonade, Water, any type of sweets!!!!

Gender

Milestones? Started putting paint samples on the wall!!

Emotions: A couple breakdowns this past week.  Mostly minor, but the hormones are raging!!

How far along? 23 weeks!

How Big Is Choochie?  The fruit comparison gets screwy this week, as they are measuring weight not size!  I know I used mango earlier, but this time it’s for weight!! 

Choochie weighs about as much as a Large Mango!!  This week, she weighs in at just over a pound, and she is more than 11 inches!!  She is just starting  to chub up a bit.  Her saggy skin will start to fit her frame as fat deposits fill things out.  Beginning this week, she’ll start to pack on the pounds, and by month’s end she’ll be double the weight he is now.  Right now, Choochies organs and bones are visible through her skin, which has a red hue due to developing veins and arteries beneath.  Once those fat deposits settle in, she’ll become less transparent

Maternity clothes?  Cant seem to find the perfect comfy T-shirt for lying around!!

Sleep? Getting Worse

Movement? This little one is a kicker!! 

Food cravings? Fruit Punch, Pink Lemonade, Water, Cookies, French Fries with cheese sauce and Pizza!!!!

Gender – Definite Confirmation (Again) of Girl This Week!!

Milestones? We began registering for the baby shower!

Emotions: Nothing to report!!

Jess’ regular OB also completely pulled her from work (indefinitely) and put her back on modified bed rest.  I think the docs are just taking precautions until we get into a safe zone (sometime after 30 weeks). 

Now, on to our baby girl!!

How far along? 22 weeks!

How Big Is Choochie?  Choochie is about the size of a Spaghetti Squash!!  This week, Choochie weighs in at a whole pound and measures nearly 10 inches, about the size of a small doll.  She now has eyebrows, eyelashes and maybe even some hair on that little head of hers!  She can now perceive light and dark. She can also hear our voices, Jess’  heartbeat,  gurgling stomach and the whoosh-whoosh of blood circulating throughout Jess’ body.  And as Choochie’s brain and nerve endings develop, she may reach for her face  just to experiment with her new found sense of touch.

Maternity clothes?  Cant seem to find the perfect comfy T-shirt for lying around!!

Sleep?  Crappy at best!!

Movement? This little one is a kicker!! 

Food cravings? Fruit Punch, Pink Lemonade, Water, Cookies, French Fries with cheese sauce and Pizza!!!!

Gender

Milestones? I don’t know if this qualifies as a milestone, but little Choochies size is beginning to impact the lungs.  Breathing is definitely not as easy as it was!

Emotions: A bit of a mess after our Level 2 scan, but we are keeping the faith!! (Same as last week)

How far along? 21 weeks 1 Day!

How Big Is Choochie?  Choochie is about the size of a large banana!!  She swallows a bit of amniotic fluid each day (for nutrition, hydration, and to practice digesting), so she eats whatever’s on Jess’ menu — and gets to put those developing taste buds to good use.

Maternity clothes? Slow shopping week

Sleep?  Crappy at best!!

Movement? This little one is a kicker!! 

Food cravings? Pineapple, French Fries with cheese sauce, Chicken Fingers, and Pizza!!!! (That is my ideal diet!!!!)

Gender

Milestones? I felt my baby kick for the first time on 7/14/10 10pm (20 Weeks 5 Days)

Emotions: A bit of a mess after our Level 2 scan, but we are keeping the faith!!

Choochies Feet!!

 Face Shot!

Profile Pic!

Isn’t she cute?  Anyway, on to the news.

The scan, for the most part went really well.  All of Choochies measurements and major parts looked great.  The only problem was a small white spot inside one of her heart chambers.  The heart itself was structurally fine.  The doc said this white spot was a calcification inside one of the chambers of the heart.  He made sure to continually let us know, that this probably was nothing to worry about.  He seemed to portray that he sees this multiple times a day, and most either disappear, of have no effect whatsoever.  He did however let us know that this could be a soft marker for downs syndrome.  He was quick to tell us that by no means does this mean that there is a problem, and healthy babies are born with this every day.  With the results of our Nuchal Translucency scan, and the blood tests, he said that this little spot brings our 1 in 10000 chance down to 1 in around 5000.  He also said that if there was any test that he really trusted, it was the Nuchal Translucency, which we passed with flying colors (something like .09).  It was a weird feeling, hearing the doc tell us that there could be something wrong with  our little miracle.  We did however, leave there feeling confident, without too much worry about it.  The real worry came at the end of the appointment, when the ultrasound tech came in and asked the doc to recheck the cervix, because she got a small measurement.  The doc agreed, and Jess was prepared for another surprise wanding!!  The cervix measured at 2.60cm.  The scan they did last week was 3cm.  A couple weeks earlier, at the OB’s office it was 4.36.  Clearly we have a change.  The doc said she wasn’t in the danger zone yet, but it is clear that the cervix is diminishing.  The “short cervix” carries a major risk of preterm labor.  It is a very scary thought.  We have come this far, and we already love her so much!! :cry:

We finally got the return phone call from Jess’ OB regarding yesterdays results.  At first he didn’t seem worried at all, and said some people just have short cervix’s.  He changed his tune as soon as looked back to a couple of weeks ago and saw the dramatic change from 4 to 2 cm.  I believe his exact words were “OOOOOHHHHHH!!!”  He did however say that we are not  in the danger zone yet, and that he felt confident waiting until Monday for a followup ultrasound.  Jess discussed options for the future, just in case it gets worse.  One option is a cervical cerclage.  Unfortunately at 21 weeks (tomorrow) there is a huge risk of doing damage.  The doc said he wouldn’t even consider a cerclage if we were past the 26 week mark.   They usually like to put them in between 12 and 14 weeks.  I guess we’ll cross that bridge when or if we get to it.  Otherwise it is strict bed rest, and possible admittance until delivery.  Jess is on modified bed rest until Monday.  We will have more direction then.  Hopefully it doesn’t get any worse, and we can get into the late weeks of pregnancy.  Please pray for us!!