Answered prayers!!!!

He turned...he turned!!!! Yesterday I woke up and had that feeling that he was head down, I have been really paying attention to how he is moving and trying to feel for all the body parts and I am about 95% sure he is head down. So "thank you all" for the prayers, they did and DO work. :) I am still praying that he stays this way and if he does not we will be scheduling a c- section because at this rate he may flip his way out of the birth canal and I am not going through 100 hours of labor just to have him delivered by c section. So I will keep everyone posted.....oh the suspense you must all be feeling I'm sure. ;) Stay tuned.......

The verdict is in........here is what we're doing next Thursday

So we had our appointment today and found out that with a breech baby our options are to a)schedule a c-section or to b) go in for this lovely "version" procedure. I love this blog because I can get this all out to everyone to let you know what's going on. Next Thursday we go in to the hospital at 5:15 to see if it works. Prayers will be good at this point that he turns on his own and everything will go "all natural".........we can hope right? :) I listed the procedure because maybe there is someone who has never heard of it and may be faced with this someday not knowing what will happen, here you go.



What is external cephalic version?
External cephalic version is a way to try to turn a baby from breech position to vertex (head-down) position while it's still in the mother's uterus. In other words, external cephalic version means turning the baby from outside of the abdomen so that it's in the head-down position. Your doctor will use his or her hands on the outside of your abdomen to try to turn the baby (see the pictures below).


Picture 1. Beginning the forward roll. The doctor places his or her hands on the abdomen, moving the baby up out of the pelvic bones.


Picture 2. The baby is turned either forward or backward ...



Picture 3. ... until the baby is in the vertex (head-down) position.


When is external cephalic version done?
External cephalic version is done at the end of pregnancy, after about 37 weeks of gestation.

Who can have external cephalic version?

Many women who have normal pregnancies may have external cephalic version. Women who cannot have it are women who have one of the following:
Vaginal bleeding
A placenta that is near or covering the opening of the uterus
A nonreactive nonstress test
An abnormally small baby
A low level of fluid in the sac that surrounds and protects the baby
An abnormal fetal heart rate
Premature rupture of the membranes
Twins or other multiple pregnancy

What are the risks of external cephalic version?
External cephalic version has some risks, including the following:
Premature labor
Premature rupture of the membranes
A small blood loss for either the baby or the mother
Fetal distress leading to an emergency cesarean delivery
The baby might turn back to the breech position after the external cephalic version is done
Although the risk of having these complications is small, some doctors prefer not to try an external cephalic version.

What can I expect if my doctor and I decide to try external cephalic version?
External cephalic version is usually done in the hospital. Before the procedure, you will have an ultrasound to confirm that the baby is breech. Your doctor will also do a nonstress test to make sure that the baby's heart rate is normal. A tube of blood will be drawn and an anesthesiologist will be notified (just in case you need to have an emergency cesarean delivery). You'll be given medicine through a vein in your arm to relax the muscles in your uterus. This medicine is very safe, with no risk to your baby. While you're lying down, the doctor will place his or her hands on the outside of your abdomen. After locating the baby's head, the doctor will gently try to turn the baby to the head-first position.

Filling the nest

So I have officially started preparing our nest for this new arrival over the last two weeks and it feels really good. I bought a used crappy dresser for $23 to use for Gavins clothes, painted it and got new handles and now I can't believe the deal we got because it's a great roomy dresser with 5 big drawers.....gotta love Craig's List! I vacuumed out the car yesterday, cleaned all the rubber mats, washed the girls' car seat covers.......uhhhh.......whatever makes baby happy right????? I have all the clothes hung up in the closet, blankets washed and ready to go, all his lotions and soaps lined up and ready. I just love seeing all of this baby stuff again, I really am feeling like I am doing this for the first time all over again and it's so much fun. :) I think he has turned himself back to Breech position though so that is not good, I really don't want to deliver him that way....ouch!! Justin was Frank Breech (butt first) so he must be already following in Daddy's foot steps. (again...ouch!) I have a Dr appointment tomorrow morning and hopefully she will give me some insight into what we do in these situations. Has anyone had to deal with this??? Enlighten me please.






We also had such a beautiful Spring day yesterday (that's at least one so far) that I had to take some pictures just to remember what sun looks like. I sat and soaked it up while the girls played most of the afternoon, we rode bikes, had a picnic, chased the ducks because we had no food for them, the girls were actually trying to feed them rocks.....nice! The day actually started with melt downs and whines but it ended much better. It just goes to show that no matter what we "think" they will enjoy it's not always the case, who knew?

The helmets are a nice touch.

The last one!!!!

So here is my last official belly picture with this pregnancy, that is a strange thought. Yes it's a bare belly picture, some people prefer not to see it and if that's the case then don't look. I am not apposed to showing a little skin action when it comes to these things, I think it's the only way to get the full effect, moles and all. :) So here is Gavin about ready to make his arrival and we are so ready for this. We have everything washed and put away, we got a new dresser to put his stuff in and our diaper stash is stocked. Now it's just wait, wait, wait........the 17th would be good so that is what we are shooting for. Bonnie will be here the 14th, so if she can be here to keep my girls that will be such a relief. No there is no planning babies as we all know and whenever he gets here we will be thrilled. We will keep everyone updated. :)

What the human body is capable of......is amazing!

This weekend we got to witness our first marathon event and it was so incredible to see what these people can do. It was the Whidbey Island marathon which is about an hour south of us so it worked out great. This was my sister Heather's 5th race including the Pike's Peak marathon which is just a measly 14,110 feet to the top......but who's counting??? Anyway, she is such a huge inspiration to me and I love her dearly and to be there for this one was so great! She said it was the hardest course so far because of so many hills but yet she reached her best time of exactly four hours so that was good. My Mom who was supposed to run it with her has been having trouble with her feet so she wasn't able to run it but they still made the trip over and her husband Mark brought his bag pipes which really made all the runners light up, it was really fun to see. They are so appreciative of all the supporters that come out to cheer them on, even Grace and Haylee were out there clapping and high fiving, it was a great experience for them too. Just watching really gets you excited for them and then to follow them along the course and check in you kind of feel a connection when it's all said and done.


So here I am about to give birth in a few weeks and actually feeling grateful that it's not a marathon I have to run. ;) There's a positive way to think about it huh?

This is mile two, she is on the right with the white shirt and capris with a white visor.

Mile 7, everyone is still smiling.Cruising along.

The girls were blowing dandelions to help out.

All fine and good until someone inhales one. ;)

The runners were actually stopping to take pictures of Mark playing, I think he's found his new calling.



"Here comes Aunt Heather"......mile 14 I think.

"Go Heather go!!!!!!"

Grace made a sign that said Go Go Girl!

Another hill she just finished......I think this is about 17 miles.

Home stretch, she's right in the middle and I did not realize I was in black and white mode. All done!!!!!

This is her group of friends that all came from Colorado, their shirts say "Sea level is for SISSIES" made to look like a Colorado license plate. :)

We love you Heather and are so proud of you, we have been spoiled this month getting to see you twice. Hopefully it won't be that long before we see you again. Congratulations!!!!!

Vacation

So we are home now from a 13 day adventure to Wendy's and then to Grandpa and Grandma's house. We had such a nice time and it feels very quiet now that we don't have 5 kids constantly competing with each other for attention. That is a lot of kids in one house and they did SO well for the most part, the four girls did great in the car and there were no major "happenings" so that was a relief. Wendy and I...two pregnant women with four small children was quite the site I'm sure when we would stop and pile out of the car at various places along the way. ;)


We had Jackson's 2nd birthday party and then the girls did a shower for me that turned out very nice. Other than that we just hung out, went to the zoo one day, did a little shopping, had a fun girls day with lunch at PF Chang's (yummy!!!) and we got to see family that we haven't seen in a while so that was fun. Thank you to all the family for the fun memories and making all the adjustments for us to fit, I'm sure it will be nice to have your house back....poor Jackson was taken over by women and is probably still in shock not knowing what hit him. ;) I am posting a few pictures from the whole week, Wendy has some on her camera and so does Bonnie so these are just a few that turned out for me. :)


Sun glass cuties.

Jens fabulous fish cakes for Jackson's birthday, she did such a great job.

Birthday boy.

The pinata of steel.....this sucker would NOT break!

Ball fun......until the hair pulling began. ;)

He's already 2.....time flies.

And what would a week of girls cousin fun be without dress up????

Aunty Jen pampering her nieces with a day at the salon.
Now she looks just like Mommy.

See?
We love you Jen, what would life be like without you????


All done.

Two peas in a pod, these two will truly miss each other.

Fun at the Zoo.

Trying to take pictures of all these kids is next to impossible....Jackson finally cooperated as long as he could hold the stick. (such a boy)

It worked for a minute.......
then he stood up and all was lost....... ;)