November 15, 2006

The test (and three more just to be sure) was positive! No restaurant or wine tonight!

Late November, 2006

Blood work is good and all numbers are rising just right. (Meg feels SICK - but survives Thanksgiving):)

Early/Mid December, 2006

First Ultrasounds - first the sac, then the yolk sac, THEN the heartbeat!, then a heartbeat and a very tiny baby!

All blood tests came back with flying colors.

January 10-11, 2007

Had a great ultrasound (baby was jumping!) on Wednesday, and heard a beautiful heartbeat on Thursday (160 - which was great because I had just eaten, and the Midwife was pleased that the baby was so excited about this).

Only trouble was that none of the 3 nurses or a doctor could get any blood from me on Wednesday for the first trimester screening. They tried my arms, my wrists, and my hands, and finally gave up when one of my tiny wrist veins blew up! Ouch! I was supposed to try again today, but we opted to wait until Monday when the weather is a bit warmer, and my bruises have had a little time to heal. Yikes! They think maybe I’m an android . . . Haha. Well, hopefully better luck Monday . . .

January 15, 2007

Well, they managed to get three tubes of blood. Yippee! Thank goodness for warm weather!

January 19, 2007

The test results for the first trimester screening came back. Our risk for Down Syndrome and another chromosomal disorder (Trisomy-18) went from 1/750 chance to 1/10,000. Excellent news! :)

January 31, 2007

Some funny thoughts from Meg:

Seriously, I feel like every single thing I do (including sleeping) is regulated by the “pregnancy rules.” Sometimes (lately, often) I wish I were pregnant in France, or somewhere far more laid back than here. It’s funny. The doctors list all of these rules and scare you out of your wits, almost everything you read is a sad, scary, or traumatic story, and then at the end of every appointment they say “relax – enjoy your pregnancy!” Hahaha.

:o)

This all takes a good sense of humor I guess.

February 4, 2007

We have flutters! The baby is officially making his or her movement known!

February 8, 2007

Appointment with the midwife went well, and quickly! The baby’s heartbeat was good at 140-150, and the uterus is growing as necessary.

February 13-14, 2007

Meg is SICK. A nasty bug has been going around and she had to go to he hospital for IV fluids. Happy Valentines Day . . . :( This made for a very long week! But thankfully, baby seems to be doing fine, and it was good to hear the heartbeat again.

February 18, 2007

LOTS of kicking today. Meg was finally able to eat some normal food and it must have made a good impact. This baby is growing (kicks and punches don’t go unnoticed now!).

February 19, 2007

Meg goes in for more blood work. This time for the triple screen test. Thankfully, they got the vein on the first try. Whew! We’ll know the results in about a week.

February 23, 2007

The results are back for the triple screen test. Our risk for Down Syndrome and Trisomy-18 are steady at 1/10,000 and our risk for open Spina Bifida is 1/6,500. Everything looks great. Yay! Now we’re just anticipating the level 2 ultrasound on Tuesday, February 27! More soon.

February 27, 2007

And the results are in . . . it’s a strong healthy baby boy! (we’ve posted our ultrasound pics in the gallery) His name is Rory Alexander and he seems to be well behaved, though somewhat stubborn, and quite a kicker. Hmmm. Sounds just like his daddy! :) At the request of several friends and family members, Meg has compiled a list (which has completely shocked her - who knew how much STUFF a baby can use?). We’re now registered at Amazon.com and anything we couldn’t find there is located on a list at Kaboodle.com. You’re welcome to have a look if you’re so inclined. Please feel free to shoot us an email if you see things that we’ve missed (besides clothes, of course). She’ll continue working on it as time allows. Much love to you all! What an exciting day!

March 4, 2007

Well, Rory seems to love live orchestra concerts . . . I got pummeled during Mozart, Beethoven was a punch and kick here and there with a lot of synchronized swimming in between, and the Haydn included various forms of activity depending on the tempo. He seems to prefer wind sections for the pummeling, string sections for swimming, and the piano moments were pretty quiet. Hmmmm. We’re REALLY trying to deter him from the double reeds . . . but we shall see!

March 8, 2007

Another good visit with the midwife. Rory’s living space is now hip to hip and pelvis to belly button (in other words, I’m “popping”). His heart rate was a steady and strong 145, and despite the walk to the hospital and a series of delays that created some stress, my blood pressure was still just fine at 100/60. ;) He’s also keeping quite active with lots of kicks and squirms! The due date was moved AGAIN, back to the original, July 23. We’ve decided to stop paying attention to this detail, since he’ll come when he wants to come anyway. So, everyone is doing well for now and we’ll have another appointment on April 4. More then!

April 4, 2007

All is well with Rory and Meg. No real news to report except that everyone is growing and healthy, and VERY ready for warm weather! Next appointment at the hospital on May 3rd will include a glucose screening and an anemia test. We’ll share the results as they come. Hopefully spring will have arrived by then! Brrrrr. For now, our little house is under much construction. Check out the photos Jacob has posted to keep up with “what’s new.”

May 15, 2007

Well, we’ve been going through lots of changes here at the Smith house. The front of 2219 Madison Square is no longer blue! The bricks have been re-pointed, new “historically correct” windows have been installed, an “historic double door” (nope, it’s NOT purple) has been hung and stained/sealed (at least part way), all trim and the patched cornice have been painted black. Also, our basement is now parged, and the cement is drying, AND, Meg has a large hole in which to place a treadmill since getting to the gym won’t be very possible come July! Still left is painting, putting up a ceiling, lighting and organizing the basement, a new roof (apparently we are extraordinarily lucky to only have a little water damage considering its current condition), and a front light and spigot. THEN, maybe we can get started on the nursery!

At this last appointment (May 14th) Meg was 30 weeks (the countdown begins . . . ). The fundal height was 30 cm (exactly right). Rory is in the “head down” or “cephalic” position, and his heart rate was 136 (normal is 120-160). Meg’s blood pressure was 92/62, pulse was 70, and she has gained 22 pounds in the pregnancy thus far, so we’re right on target.

We’ve started visits with two midwives in the area who assist with home births, which we’ve decided to pursue, barring any unforeseen complications. They’ve been extremely attentive and are both wonderful, knowledgeable women whom we feel very comfortable working with. It’s been such a pleasant change from the rushed impersonal hospital visits (we’re still having these to keep up our records should we need to go for the birth).

Otherwise, despite sleep being hard to come by, excitement to meet our baby boy is building. Lots of kicks and swimming are helping us get to know him a little, but the big day is greatly anticipated! Until then, we’re hard at work with the business and trying to get everything in order. Glucose screening and ultrasound are scheduled for next week, and we begin our two week visits now, so more to come.

May 18, 2007

Just a news update . . . Today we looked at office space at 2202-10 Alter Street (just about a 5 minute walk from our home). It’s a wonderful building with a great feel, so Whiteboard Media will have a new space (Suite 1C) beginning the second week in June. This is VERY exciting. Maybe we’ll have room for a baby after all! Also, yesterday we had our new roof installed. Fortunately it was done in about 4 hours, and we escaped water drama by the skin of our teeth. Meg is thrilled that there is at least one less thing to worry about!

May 22, 2007

Today was finally the glucose tolerance test. Scheduling is crazy these days! All results were good. Meg’s fasting blood sugar level was 81, and after her meal it was 83. Well within normal range! Iron levels were also good.

May 24, 2007

Today we had an ultrasound. It’s been about 13 weeks since we’ve seen pictures, so it was nice to check in! Everything looks great. The placenta is completely out of the way (it ends above where his head begins), he’s in the “head down” position (yay!), weighs in at 3 lbs 9 oz, and he’s still a boy. ;)

It was nap time, and he was feeling a little shy, but you can kind of get a glimpse of his face, closed eyes, and chubby cheeks (hmmmm, I wonder where those came from . ? . ) . We also got to see his hands, legs, tummy, and tush, but no snapshots to share of those - we’ll have to wait for the real deal!

Today is 31 weeks 3 days.

May 29, 2007

Good appointment today. Had lots of questions answered. Meg is 32 weeks 1 or 2 days today. Her fundal height is 32 cm, so right on target. Her blood pressure is great at 100/66 and her pulse is 64 bpm. Rory’s pulse is 132 and he let us know that he didn’t like the stethoscope poking at his back very much, with a mighty PUNCH! His weight is around 4 lbs now.

After we walked all the way home (good workout today!) we received our first organic “Bitty Box” subscription delivery. Lots of veggies and fruit that all look delicious (glad we got the smallest box!). We’re very impressed with the service so far - affordable, incredibly organized, and unbelievably convenient! Let us know if you want details. The service is called “Door to Door Organics.”
Our next appointment is scheduled for June 12, so more then!

July 12, 2007

Ok, so I’m a month late with the updates.  What can I say?  It’s been busy!  All appointments have been going well.  We’re seeing the midwives every week now, because even though it seems like he’s planning to remain permanently in the belly, he WILL be out soon.  Very soon.  At this past appointment we were 38 weeks.  Baby was very active, mom’s blood pressure was still 100/60, heart rate was about 62, baby’s heart rate was 146, and the height of the fundus was perfecto at 38 centimeters.  We’ve made it to full term, so now it’s up to Mr. Rory to decide when to come out.  His first big decision!  Great feeling to not worry about pre-term labor any longer!  The next post may well be after he arrives, so we hope that this finds you all very well, and look forward to sharing news and photos soon!  Much love, Meg & Jacob