Our Miracle Blessing: Baby Kate

After adopting seven wonderful blessings, we were thrilled to find ourselves 15 weeks pregnant on our 15th Wedding Anniversary with "Our Miracle Blessing"!!!

Friday, September 23, 2011

A Bit Nervous....

I'm going in to the perinatologist in a few minutes for a blood pressure and weight check... when I got out of the shower yesterday, then again last night, the veins in both hands and wrists were sticking up extremely high and looked like the "Incredible Hulk's Veins"... I watched the veins get larger as they went up my arms... this lasted for less than five minutes and went down after I sat down...  Last pregnancy, I was monitored for Pre Eclampsia but never officially had it... I don't have any noticeable swelling, but the veins are down right creepy!!!!

Update:
All went well... blood pressure was 110/60- a bit low for me... no protein in my urine... not a huge weight gain either... Baby's heart rate was the usual 150's... if it happens again, I was told to raise my hands to help the blood return faster... next ultrasound is on Monday, October 3 and perinatal 4 week visit is on Thursday the 6th...

Thursday, September 22, 2011

I'm A Great Aunt... Again!!!

Last time was so emotionally painful... I literally cried like a baby... sobbed in Pat's arms... this time, I cried, but for completely different reasons...

Pat is the youngest of seven... his next sibling, Nora, is nine years older... with the other 5 even older than that... so when Pat and I met, became engaged and married we were the young, successful couple... we were in our mid to late 20's... his siblings were all Mid 30-40 something... my soon to be nieces and nephews were all elementary to middle school ages- all except Tara- who is Nora's late 30's blessing... Nora was pregnant with Tara when I met Pat... Nora has 3 older children as well... It is Nora's oldest whose wife just gave birth to their second son...

In the past 15 years that Pat and I have been married, I have enjoyed watching all of my nieces and nephews grow up... I also now have 1 Great Niece and 3 Great Nephews... Two were born out of wedlock, and Nora's two grandchildren were born after what appeared to be a fairy tale romance and wedding...  Nora has often commented that I reminded her so much of her daughter in law as we are/were both elementary teachers, love kids, similar size, build and hair color, etc... Nora's son has always reminded me of Pat... athletic in high school, smart, handsome, professional, etc...

When their first son was born three years ago, Nora proudly sent around photos of the new baby and of the entire family surrounding the baby and her new grandson...as thrilled as I was for Nora and her family... I was emotionally heartbroken... I sobbed to Pat that we should have been the ones in the photo... the parents with the newborn baby surrounded by family... that is the way our lives were supposed to have worked out... 

This was the moment when I knew that the answer had changed to the question Pat asked me so long ago... in 1998... that led us down the path to adopt our 5 blessings... "What is more important... for you to be pregnant or for you to be a Mommy?"  Of course, I immediately stated... "To be a Mommy..."  Immediately we began to discuss adoption plans...

The photo of my Great Nephew and his family immediately caused me to hear my biological ticking at the age of 37... immediately I realized that my desire to be pregnant was alive and well and if I was going to become pregnant, I only had a small window of opportunity... time was no longer at my side... never would I have dreamed that I would be blessed with 3 children by birth at that moment...

Today, Pat shared with me that our newest Great Nephew is here... once again, I cried... they chose for the middle name of this baby to be the same as his Aunt, who died soon after birth as she was born too young to survive...

Nora, once again, sent photos... this time was one with her son and two Grandsons... commenting that the photo reminded her of when Pat was younger... Nora's older grandson, does resemble my husband when he was a child... Before this miracle pregnancy, this comment would have stung... perhaps causing more tears as I would have wondered if life had worked out as we had initially planned, would our genetic child have looked like Pat???  Instead, I cried tears of joy, knowing that thanks to God, we will know the answer to that question when this baby is born... perhaps in less than 10 weeks, if this baby breaks her water when Sarah did...

Thank you God, for making all of my dreams come true... 
in Your time... not mine... 
and so worth the wait!!!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

25 Weeks and Even More Stunned...

It just hit me... if this baby breaks her water at the same time Sarah did, she will be here in less than 11 weeks...  11 WEEKS... that is like tomorrow... I am so, so excited and yet so not ready to have a brand new baby to care for... plus 4 Birthdays: Jack's 7th, Pat's 44th, my 41st and Lizzy's 9th...Halloween and Thanksgiving... Christmas for the other 7 Blessings and Sarah and Anna's 2nd birthday on January 8th...we will get it all together, but it just stunned me that she will be here so soon!!! 

Sunday, September 11, 2011

24 Weeks!!!

Still not sure how all of this happened... lol... honestly Pat and I still joke about the odds and I'd love to find a mathematician to figure them out... seriously I think our odds of winning the lottery would have been better... which of course we feel we won... the baby lottery... but the money lottery would be a great addition...

I passed my glucose test- yay!!!  The baby LOVED the glucose... she was a moving machine... the nurse had to try both before and after my blood test to check her heart rate as she was so busy moving the doppler wouldn't pick it up... I wasn't worried, we could hear her moving and I could feel her as well... we finally got a quick reading of low 150's...

I am measuring two weeks ahead of schedule- so my belly is measuring that of a 26 week pregnancy... I thought it was huge... but I love my BIG pregnant belly and am already knowing that I am going to miss it!!!

I put on my maternity jeans for the 1st time this pregnancy for my appointment... not quite as comfortable as I was remembering...

This baby is much higher then Sarah and Anna, which is nice because I can still easily bend over...

I am starting to have fainting/nausea feelings when I sit in certain chairs and once I switch positions leaning to one side or the other it goes away... this happened when I was pregnant with the twins and is caused by the uterus pushing on blood vessels in my back...

I also have had the return of the dreaded facial hair/fur or as Pat coined it, "carpet" for about six weeks... just lovely...

My asthma gets much better during pregnancy- go figure...

I also just passed the weight I was when I got pregnant with Sarah and Anna, so I am up about 6 pounds this pregnancy- not too bad...

Last but not least... somehow my due date got moved by a day... to 12-28-11... I'm still not sure how... the perinalolgist said it was based on my last menstrual period and the measurements of the baby at the 12 week ultrasound... therefore he will not schedule a C Section until 12-21-11... which means I would leave the hospital 4 days later to be home for Christmas Eve... plus it was just seeming weird to choose the baby's birth date... so we have officially scheduled her birthday for 2-27-11 @ 9:15...  I will be stunned if she doesn't come sooner!!!