17 & 18 Weeks

I'm not sure where to start but here it goes.  These past few weeks have been an emotional roller coaster ride.  Monday, April 21st I got a call saying that my labs came back abnormal and statistically our baby had a 2% chance of having down syndrome.  The Doc did not present it in a very professional way so that made things even worse.  I know this may seem like no big deal to some people but all I could think about was what if our baby was in that 2%.  Basically, it came down to whether or not we wanted to know for sure or just wait until delivery.  Chris and I are both planners so we decided to go through with an amniocentesis to get results.  We made sure that things looked okay and it would be a fairly easy procedure in hopes of not putting the baby in risk.  So on Wednesday we went and had the amniocentesis.  I was pretty nervous about it since it is a needle going into my belly as a straight shot but it went smooth and felt just like an IV being started.  Now all we had to do is wait.

The following Wednesday I had an appointment with the specialist in town, Dr. Thomas.  I am a much bigger fan of him than the rest of the OB office so far.  He was a little upset that I had the amniocentesis and said that new research is leaning away from that and doing a new blood test that is not harmful to the baby at all.  I was a little upset since the original doc did mention this test and then said it wouldn't really make a difference.  Anyway, Dr. Thomas did an ultrasound and to start off he was looking at the brain which showed two cysts on the right side of the brain and one on the left side.  He assured me not to worry and said they looked like choroid plexus cysts and usually go away.  It still worried me a little because they literally look like holes in the brain. He kept closely looking at every beautiful feature to our baby and explained in detail how things would look if our baby did have down syndrome.  At the end of the appointment he looked at me and said I am fairly certain that your baby is perfectly healthy and do not worry about the cysts they can go away after time and even if they don't it will not affect your baby's development.  He then said of course the results to the amnio would let us know for sure.   He put my mind at ease but of course I was still worried and immediately came home and looked up choroid plexus cysts.  

That leads to today.  I called the OB office three times yesterday hoping for results since it had been two weeks and that is how long they said it would take.  Finally about 6:45 last night I got a call but she didn't see the results on the computer.  Then this morning about 11:00 the doc finally called but I was in an appointment with Colin and couldn't answer the phone.  Luckily, he left a message with the results saying that everything came back normal and we have a healthy baby brewing so far.  I was already close to work so I went to tell my co-workers since they had been worried too.  When I let Eve know she gave me the biggest hug and started to tear up and that was the moment I lost it.  I realized I have been so worried and stressed and thinking about everything we would need to do and where we would need to move to make sure our baby would have every resource and medical care they would need.  I have since been very emotional and thankful for a healthy baby.  I know that no matter what the results this child will be loved but I had many fears of caring for this baby and giving he/she whatever they needed.  So it has been a very emotional day and I break down in tears randomly and I just pray that this baby continues to be healthy and grow strong everyday.

Now then, last week I was 17 weeks and it was a pretty awesome day because at exactly 17 weeks I felt our sweet angel baby move!  I can't tell you how amazing that feeling is and I love every second of it.

Casson Baby #3 is the size of a turnip weighing about 5oz and is about 5 inches long.

Today I am 18 weeks.  I am still tired and need naps on occasion.  I don't have a consistent craving of any food but when I want something I want it! Ha!  The other night I woke up to use the restroom and when I laid back down this little one was moving all around I just laid there enjoying every moment of this little life inside me even if it was 1 AM. 

A while ago we asked Liam what he wanted: a brother or a sister.  Initially he said "We should have three boys, I want another brother"  but recently he has decided he wants a sister. Ha!  We told him we couldn't choose which one and he seems to be okay with that.  Then we asked what we should name the baby.  He said Jonah for a boy and Panda for a girl.  He also tells me my tummy is getting bigger and likes to tickle the baby by tickling my tummy :)

Baby Casson # 3 is approximately 7 oz ad 5.5 inches about the size of a bell pepper.

Liam showing his tummy too