Kidney Update

We had our ultrasound today and everything looks great with Will's kidneys! The specialist that was in there to look at them didn't even have to measure them to tell that there was no dilation. Thank you so much for all your prayers! They definitely worked :)

Will slept for pretty much the entire ultrasound, but he's looking fantastic. They estimated his weight to be about 3 pounds 11 ounces (although that can be off in either direction by about 10 ounces). All of his measurements are right on target at around 30 weeks, however his femur is measuring ahead by nearly two weeks! Sounds like someone inherited his daddy's long legs!! ;)

We got to see his heart beating away (and it definitely still has four chambers!). Since he was sleeping, his heart rate was about 131 beats per minute. It was so fun to watch him on the screen again...I couldn't believe how big he had gotten, though! They could no longer get his head and his body on the screen at the same time. We could tell he's got some chubby cheeks and he's definitely still 100% boy :)

Here are some of the pictures from today...



Profile shot...still has the same sweet little nose!




A shot looking down at his face. His eyes are labeled "E" and there is an arrow pointing to him smiling!




The four chambers of his heart

It was definitely a good day! :)

30 Weeks!

Sorry for the lack of updates this week...it's been a rather crazy/hectic week! I took (and passed!) my certification exam on Tuesday and then there was some 'drama' that went on at work for the rest of the week. Luckily, all that was taken care of and hopefully this week will be much, much less stressful.

Tomorrow I'll be 30 weeks pregnant! For some reason that seems like a really big milestone...I guess probably because 3/4 of my pregnancy is over. Time is flying by - it seems like yesterday that we were having our 20 week ultrasound to find out if Will is a girl or a boy! This week, he weighs about 3 pounds and about 16 inches long. His eyesight is improving, but it's still pretty bad. When he's born, he'll have 20/400 vision...meaning he can see at 20 feet what most people can see at 400! That's worse than both mommy and daddy's vision combined! Luckily, though, that won't last and it'll improve as he gets older and his eyes get stronger.

He definitely likes music! We had staff development at school on Friday and they played some loud music while everyone was gathering together. Will thought it was time to party and promptly started drumming on my insides! He did the same thing at church on Sunday morning...who knows, we may have a little musician on our hands. :) He also has quite the little attitude. He definitely does not like any type of pressure at all. When I'm getting ready in the morning, I lean over the counter to get close to the mirror to put on eyeliner and mascara. The edge of the counter presses against my belly. Will goes absolutely crazy punching or kicking at the counter until I stand back up. He definitely likes having his space.

This afternoon I have a doctor's appointment with another one of the OB/GYNs at the clinic. I'm on a rotation for the next several weeks to meet all of them, in case my doctor isn't available when I go into labor. Tomorrow is our ultrasound to see how Will's kidney is doing. I've actually been doing really well with not worrying about it. God has given me lots of things to keep my mind occupied ;) Please continue to pray for him before tomorrow, though!

Here's what I'm looking like at 30 weeks pregnant:


And here's what Will is looking like! I found this awesome picture online of a 30 week old baby boy in the womb...looks like it's a little crammed in there!


I'll update tomorrow after the ultrasound :) Have a great Martin Luther King day!

Doctors Appointment Today

I had my monthly doctors appointment today, along with the Gestational Diabetes test. The test honestly wasn't that bad...the drink was a little gross (tasted like flat orange pop) and I had to down it in 5 minutes, but other than that it wasn't bad! I'll find out in a few days if I didn't pass, otherwise "no news is good news." I think that I passed - I hope that I passed anyways! I really don't want to go in for the three hour test.

Afterwords, I saw my doctor for my appointment. Will's heart sounded great (still in the 150s) and I'm measuring right on target at 28cm...You should have about a centimeter of growth for every week you're pregnant. She said that the fact that Will's feet are sticking into my ribs is a good thing - it means he's probably head down and facing the right way! We did get a little bit of concerning news...on the anatomy ultrasound I had on 11/7, one of Will's kidneys was enlarged. It is called pyelectasis. She didn't seem too concerned about it at all and said it was a very mild case. I, on the other hand, am not so relaxed about it! I've spent the better part of the afternoon on Google researching it. I will have to go back in for another ultrasound on the 21st to reevaluate.

From what I've found out through my Googling, it's very common in boys and usually resolves itself by the third trimester. If it doesn't, it doesn't mean that there will be a problem after birth, but it could. If it hasn't resolved itself, they will continue to monitor it and after he's born he will have to have some tests run. If it's causing problems then, it would mean a minor surgery procedure. It can be a soft marker for Downs Syndrome...which freaks me out a lot! I just want our baby boy to be perfectly healthy in every way. However, the chances of him having Downs are still not high because we've seen him opening and closing his hands on the ultrasound and he doesn't have any other soft markers for it.

I was a little upset at first that I wasn't told right after the ultrasound on 11/7 that there was a problem, however, thinking about it now, it's a blessing from God. If we would have found out about it right after the ultrasound, we would not have been able to have a follow up ultrasound until the third trimester...so even if we would have found out then, I'd still be waiting to find out anything about it. And knowing me, I would have been worrying about it the entire time and not enjoying life! So now we get to wait until the 21st...and I think it's going to be a long two weeks. I'm really trying not to worry. God blessed us with this baby for a reason and he knows what He is doing. I am trying to rest in His peace and trust him entirely. This is something incredibly hard for me to do; but He is all-knowing, all-powerful, loving, merciful, and my God. He will take care of me and Will, no matter what the outcome of the ultrasound is. Keep Will and his kidney in your prayers!