p.s.

I just realized I left out a couple big updates since it's been so long between posts.

First and foremost, IT'S A GIRL! We are pretty darn pumped about that. She's not even here yet and Chris is already wrapped around her tiny little fingers!

Second, I'm off bed-rest and have never felt better!

loooong overdue (the blog post, not the baby!)

It's been almost two and a half months since my last post, so it's about time I got my act together and updated everyone on all the goings on of the last couple months. We have been VERY busy since I announced our big move back to Chicago! I am happy to say everyone (Chris, the dog, the baby, myself) survived the relocation process and we are now happily settled into our beautiful new apartment just two blocks from Lake Michigan :) Many, MANY thanks to my mom for essentially single handedly unpacking everything and getting us moved in while Chris was traveling for business. It is absolutely wonderful to be back amongst family and friends. We truly feel that we're home and are so excited that this is where we get to start our family.

Speaking of starting our family... The baby is doing great! I have my last sonogram tomorrow - which is bitter sweet. I became used to bi-weekly sonograms in New York, so the idea of not getting to see our little one for three whole months after tomorrow is a little disappointing. BUT, it's actually good news because the baby and I no longer require close observation. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new doctor!!! She is calm, a great listener, really takes time to speak WITH me - as opposed to AT me, and she is the first doctor I have seen who has asked me what my expectations are of her and what role I see medicine playing in my pregnancy. (Medicine as a field in general, not pharmaceuticals.) I could have cried and hugged her right then and there!

I hope you are all enjoying this spectacular fall we're having! And if you are in the Midwest - don't blow away! This wind is crazy!

Much love,

Nicole

Tacos are my new favorite food

In case you haven't heard yet - WE ARE MOVING TO CHICAGO!!! Chris and I are both out of our minds with excitement over this. Seriously, I haven't stopped laughing for the last 28 hours. I am sure if a stranger saw me they would think I escaped from the loony bin. George has picked up on our excitement and has been quite the "enthusiastic" puppy. If only he could direct all that energy into something useful - like packing!

If you are on facebook you may have heard that this all came about because Chris ate a really good taco. It's true. A taco changed our lives. Last Friday (6 days ago) Chris took my brother to our favorite little eatery, Mesquite. It's a super tiny Tex Mex restaurant that uses all fresh, local ingredients and their menu is always changing. Anyway, Chris decided to try their special - a roasted Long Island duck taco that had been marinated in a sweet and spicy mandarin orange sauce and topped with goat cheese. It was so amazingly delicious he just had to call someone to tell them about it. He chose to call the head of North American Business Development for one of his manufacturing suppliers. Chris knew that Ron lived in the area and was familiar with the restaurant, so he thought he would recommend Ron bring his family over to try out this spectacular taco. While on the phone Ron asked Chris how he's been and what he's up to. Chris mentioned that my family was in town from Chicago. That prompted Ron to say, "Chicago, really? Late this afternoon I found out our Chicago territory opened up." To which Chris replied, "I will send you my résumé when I get home."

Fast Forward to 9 AM Monday morning. Chris aced the phone interview. Slow Forward to 9 AM Wednesday morning. I say "slow forward" because Tuesday could not have passed any slower. Wednesday morning Chris met with the man in charge of hiring and by 11 AM he had a written offer in hand. They insisted he bring it home and talk it over with me (as if I was going to turn it down!) so by 3 PM on Wednesday Chris was the new Midwest Regional Sales Manager for Binder. His official start date is September 1st.

Are you jumping up and down and squealing like a little girl yet?! I am! Ha ha. (Don't worry, I'm not really jumping up and down...)

Ok, now onto baby updates. Everything is perfect. As I expected, the genetic counselor reported all good news. There is a 1 in >10,000 chance that our baby has any of the genetic diseases that they tested for.

I have been feeling a lot better these past two weeks. I seem to be over the nausea and fatigue :D WOO HOO!

Other than that I don't have anything else to report. I hope to see most of you really soon!

Lots of love,

Nicole

Time to relax

This past week was chock-full of doctors appointments, and for once we came away from them feeling relaxed about our situation. First up was our ultra-screen/nuchal translucency exam which tests for Down Syndrome and chromosomal abnormalities. While we have to wait until Saturday for the genetic counselor to give us our official results, the perinatologist said everything he reviewed looks normal.

Next was our first meeting with the perinatologist (high risk Ob). What a relief he was! For once we were talking to someone who really knew what was going on and who took the time to thoroughly explain it. And the best part was, he seemed completely unconcerned about my situation! I mean that in the best possible way. He is the only doctor who gave us an explanation of where the hematoma came from - a small tear of the placenta away from the uterine wall. And he didn't just tell us this, he took the time to show us several sonogram pictures which clearly showed the separation. The bleeding has stopped, which is a very good sign, but it still needs to be monitored just to be safe. Unfortunately, he still recommends bed rest because while the placental tear is small enough at this point to not affect the baby's growth and development, if it were to become larger it could be dangerous to the baby's health. Therefore, activity is the enemy :( I am still allowed some activity, mainly short walks, but I am restricted from lifting anything over 5 pounds. Book and movie recommendations are encouraged!

The perinatologist also addressed my bicornuate uterus. For him it's a non-issue. He even said it's entirely possible to have a natural birth, we'll just have to wait and see how the baby is positioned six months from now. The regular Ob I have been seeing was ready to schedule me for a c-section right from the start, so that was music to my ears! Obviously it is extremely early to be discussing birth plans, but I am beyond thrilled to now have a doctor that isn't so eager to cut, cut, cut!

Today I had another appointment with my regular Ob. Well, same practice, new doctor (there are four doctors in the practice). I think I have found my guy! The first doctor I had been seeing was very high strung (the one who told me at like 10 weeks that I would be having a scheduled c-section in January). She was very panicky, didn't seem to really know anything about my situation, and I always came away from those appointments feeling a little unsure and overwhelmed. Today, this guy was so reassuring! He didn't look at me like I was a ticking time bomb and instead of focusing only on what COULD go wrong, he focused on what IS going RIGHT. From now on I am going to try to schedule my appointments with him. I don't really have any medical news to report from the appointment as it was just a routine check-up. Everything is still looking good.

Next up is our meeting with a genetic counselor on Saturday. Personally, I don't really think it's necessary for us, but the perinatologist says it's S.O.P. for all of his patients to meet with one.

That's all for now. Stay cool and enjoy these last few weeks of summer!

Lots of love,

Nicole

P.S.

Let me know if you have any book or dvd recommendations!

New Diagnosis and The Information Monster

First, the good news: The baby is doing great. Still growing rapidly and maintaining a strong heart rate (4.35 cm, 163 bpm). More good news: Our baby no longer has webbed fingers and toes and he/she lost its tail this week (according to the books). So that's a relief.

Now the not necessarily bad news, but I wasn't jumping up and down news: I have a new diagnosis. After a high definition sonogram with a perinatologist (high risk doctor), it has been decided that I have a large hematoma in my left horn. It is now believed that the pain and bleeding I have experienced was caused by the hematoma, not by my body's confusion over whether it's pregnant or not.

So what does this mean? It means we wait. So far the baby has been able to develop normally while sharing the uterus with this hematoma. The danger is that uterine hematomas (I believe they are technically called Subchorionic Hematomas) often cause the placenta to separate from the uterine wall. As the baby and the hematoma compete for space this becomes a bigger concern. The grand plan is quote "to watch [me] like a hawk." Which means sonograms and Ob appointments every other week.

I do not know how my bicornuate uterus factors into all of this. In my mind (which knows NOTHING about this kind of thing) I figure it has to be beneficial that there is a dividing "wall" separating the baby from the hematoma. When I actually get to speak with the doctor I will find out.

Now onto "The Information Monster". There is a fine line between being informed and freaking yourself out. Therefore, I have a new policy: The only information I care about is what I hear come out of MY doctor's mouth. It is really tempting to come home from doctors appointments and head straight to the computer to Google the strange new words they filled my head with, but not once has my Googling had a happy ending. The bottom line is every pregnancy is different. Despite what Google has to say, there are plenty of women with bicornuate uteruses who have delivered healthy, full term babies. There are also plenty of women who have delivered healthy, full term babies that shared a uterus with a hematoma.

So, I caution anyone who is tempted to Google medical information: it will most likely do more harm than good. You do not need to worry about the million and one things that could go wrong. In the event that something does go wrong, your doctor will inform you about YOUR situation.

Now, I have a favor to ask of you. Please drink a nice cold Leinie's Sunset Wheat for me (orange slice optional). Drinking water on the patio while enjoying the beautiful summer smell of neighbors' BBQs just isn't the same. I would feel better if I knew my friends and family were fully enjoying this experience with a delicious beer.

Lots of love,

Nicole

Week 10. Going public.

Most people would advise us to wait another couple of weeks before breaking the big news, but what can we say? We're excited! So excited that keeping it a secret has been a challenge...for some(one). A few weeks ago a certain unnamed father-to-be made a few super sly phone calls that went something like this: "Shhhhh...don't let Nicole know I told you, but WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!!" It's hard to be mad at that kind of excitement :)

So here is a quick rundown of what we know so far:

Due date: February 5, 2011

Growing quickly (on schedule), good strong heart rate, wiggling around like crazy.

Also, I have two uteruses (uteri?). Well, technically it's just one uterus that has a complete separation of the right and left side. Doctors call it a Bicornuate Uterus. There are varying degrees of this condition. Some women have a slight heart shape to their uterus, others a more pronounced heart shape, and fewer still have almost complete separation of the two sides - which doctors refer to as "horns". I am pregnant in my right horn. I will attach pictures I found online of a Bicornuate Uterus as well as a normal uterus so you can see what I'm talking about.

This is a normal uterus.

This is a Bicornuate Uterus.

Having such a pronounced Bicornuate Uterus does present some problems - and it already has. My left side is very confused about what is going on because it's not pregnant, but my body's hormone levels are telling it otherwise. So against its better judgement my left horn is producing everything it needs to build/house a baby - except there is no fetus. Once my left horn realizes that there is no fetus and it's doing all this work for nothing, it decides to get rid of everything - which presents as a "miscarriage". I say "miscarriage" because that's not what actually happened since there was never a fetus in the left horn to begin with. This poses a problem because every time this happens (it's happened twice) we worry that a miscarriage took place in the right horn - where there is a healthy fetus. Talk about a roller coaster!

The good news is the baby is doing just fine and hasn't been affected by the events in the left horn. What a trooper! I on the other hand cannot wait until the left side gets its act together because it is exhausting!

That about covers it for now. We will keep you posted as the adventure continues!

xo,

Nicole