Great News!

Brandy: I finally talked to the doctor today about the sonogram I had last Wednesday. He said at this point in pregnancy, my placenta is not going to move any closer towards my cervix. In fact, he said it will move further away!! This really is great news! I asked if he wanted to see me again about it, and he said NO! He is not concerned about it!!! Whew. I feel so much better! So it looks like I am out of the woods with this one.

Also, today is my 3 year anniversary. Happy Anniversary Brian! We have been together for a total of 9 years (married for 3), and we are both super excited to start the next phase of our lives together... the family phase!

Update: Houston Shower and 3D/4D Sonogram

Brandy: This weekend was super busy! Friday morning we left bright and early for Houston. We stopped 3 times on the way so I could stretch my legs and go to the bathroom. When we got in town, we drove by our old town home, and then headed straight to Lankford's for lunch. It is an awesome little dive, with breakfast, burgers, and daily lunch specials. Brian got a cheeseburger and fries. I got the lunch special - crispy beef tacos. It was great! If you watch Diners, Drive Ins and Dives, this place was featured there this season. We used to eat there all the time when we lived in Houston. After lunch, we stopped by my old office and said hello to everyone. That evening, we met my friend Chad at Mi Luna in Rice Village for tapas. Mi Luna is another of my faves. We ordered a platter of 8 different tapas and shared everything. Yummy! We stayed with friends out in Katy. That night Brian and David went out for a bit, but I turned in early! The next morning, David's wife, Greta, informed us that David had been throwing up. We assumed he drank too much, and laughed at him. Brian and I headed to Niko Nikos, probably my favorite Houston eatery of all time. We wanted to get lunch and we were also meeting some people who could not make it to our shower later in the afternoon. I fulfilled my craving with hummus, a gyro and a side of potatoes. Brian got the Souvlaki plate with rice, and was nice enough to give me his dolma! Funny enough, Guy Fierri had been here too! Niko Nikos will be featured on DDD on October 5th. I guess we have good taste in restaurants - Ha! We saw some great friends we had not seen in a while, and got some awesome gifts! After this, we headed back to David and Greta's to drop our stuff off and get ready for the shower. On the way, David emailed Brian that he thought he had the flu. Uh oh! We made the decision to pack up our stuff and just leave after the shower. Neither one of us wants to be sick, especially me because of the baby! When we got to their house, we found out their one year old daughter had started throwing up too. We were out of there! The shower was fabulous! It was at my friend Suesan's house. She, my mom, and my mom's friend Kitty did a fabulous job of getting everything together. It was wonderful to see everyone. We also got to meet two new additions, Henry and Eleni, who were born 3 days apart back in June. They were both so cute! The shower was marvelous. We got some great gifts. Everyone was so generous! After the shower was over, we stuffed the car, and headed back to Dallas. It was a very long day and I slept so well that night! The next day, Brian and I spent all day organizing gifts and putting everything together. We got it all done, which made me feel the day was worth all the hard work!

This morning we had our 3D/4D sonogram. It was so amazing to see what Baby Markey looks like. I think our little one is absolutely adorable! I love the little cheeks and the nose, which I am pretty sure is mine since Brian's is so pointy! Also, the lady that did the sonogram, runs the sonography school there. She said that Baby Markey's head is nice and low... So low that she doesn't think the placenta has anywhere to go but away from my cervix! Sounds good to me! We got still photos printed out, and 4D videos on disc. Enjoy!

Sonogram Appointment

Brandy: Brian and I had our follow-up sonogram this morning. While we were in the waiting room, I noticed that Brian, who was dressed up for work, had on 2 different black dress shoes. Granted, they were similar in style, but they were most definitely 2 different shoes! This gave us both a pretty good laugh, as well as a few other people in the waiting room. So, the sonogram... First let's talk about the baby. Baby Markey is doing well... measuring 28 weeks and 5 days (I am 28 weeks and 2 days)... about 2 pounds 11 ounces... definitely the same sex as the last sonogram (more than certain this time!)... no calcification of the heart... good amount of fluid... everything with baby was perfect! Now, for the news on my placenta... it has not moved at all since my last sonogram. I asked the technician if it was low enough to warrant a c-section, but she said that the doctor would have to make that decision. There is still time for the placenta to move so they want me to come back for another sonogram. The doctor is supposed to call me in the next couple of days to discuss the position of the placenta, and when he wants me to come back in. The technician indicated it would probably be another 3-4 weeks. I really thought it would have moved, at least a little, by this time. I emailed my doula to update her, and she said not to worry. She said she has seen it move this late, and even at up to 36 weeks. Also, my midwife just called me to give me some encouraging words. She also said that she has seen a placenta move much later in pregnancy. She said she believes that mine will move, as they almost always do. She told me to visualize it moving. The power of positive thinking, right? I just want my chance... PLEASE no c-section! Here are 2 pictures of Baby Markey. The first is a straight on facial view. You can make out the eyes, nose, mouth and the hands are together in front of the chest. The second is a profile picture. Baby Markey's hands are in front of the face, and you can see the thighs and knees curled up to the left.

28 Week Checkup / Another Blog Win

Brandy: Today marks the start of my 3rd trimester. 28 weeks down and only 12 more to go! I am 70% of the way there! Wow, it seems like only yesterday that I handed Brian a gift bag FULL of pregnancy tests. I told him I had a surprise for him, that he would get part of it now and the other part later (9 months later to be exact!). He looked in the gift bag, and did NOT believe me. Apparently he thought I had some sort of magical power to make my pee turn the tests positive without really being pregnant... yea right! Anyway, fast forward to the present and there is no denying that I am indeed very preggo! I went this morning for my 28 week checkup and my glucose test to check for gestational diabetes. I had to fast from midnight until my first blood draw at 8:15 this morning. Then it was off to eat a good meal! I went to work for a bit, and then headed back to Dinah's for my normal appointment. She had to draw my blood a second time in order to compare before and after. Some people may not like this version of the test since it requires two needle sticks, but I am not scared of needles in the least. This was a great alternative to the standard glucose test where you have to drink some nasty orange stuff and then get your blood drawn an hour later. Okay, so back to my appointment... Everything is going great! My blood pressure was nice and low. The baby's heart beat was about 150 bpm. My fundal height is 29 cm. Dinah was able to tell the position of the baby by feeling my belly, and confirmed that position by the location of the heartbeat. And the verdict is... head down! I hope that the baby stays that way! Everything I read says that they usually lock into the head down position around 32 weeks, but I am hoping that my little one found his/her way early. I talked to Dinah about the flu shot (the normal flu, not swine flu). I really wanted her opinion. I have never gotten a flu shot before. I know they are recommended for pregnant women and parents of infants and small children. I am not big on "optional" vaccines, and really did not know what to do. After talking with Dinah, she really does not recommend one way or the other. What she did say is that the flu shot is one of the last vaccines around that still uses mercury in it's ingredient list. Even though the amount is trace, and supposedly harmless, that information was enough to make me decide to skip the shot. As for the swine flu vaccine, I would NEVER take that. It is way too new, and no one really knows the long term affects, let alone the affect on a pregnant woman and her baby!I have to start going to appointments with Dinah every 2 weeks now. Wow that happened fast!

I won another item from a blog giveaway. This one came from Natural Mommie http://www.naturalmommie.com/ and Kelly Green Way http://kellygreen-way.com/shop/body-skin/baby-kids/erbaviva-organic-baby-washbag-pouch.html. I won 20 unbleached muslin sachets for baby's bath time filled with lots of organic goodness - oatmeal, milk powder, lavender flowers and lavender and mandarin essential oils. I can't wait until our little one is here and I get to try these out!