Updated Kidney News

To start out, last week this little guy passed his BPP in 4 minutes! I already feel like a bragging mother and he isn't even born yet! His NST's have been great and even categorized at "text book." This prompted me to ask my DR if I really did need to come every week for the BPP and NST's since he is passing with flying colors and she said yes b/c they want to make sure that he still does this great and that my fluid level stays consistent and that the kidneys don't get any bigger. Well, so much for that. I had my follow up level II ultrasound with the Perinatologist on Wednesday this week and it wasn't horrible news, but not great news either. The kidneys have dilated more which is what they were hoping would not happen. They are now measuring at 1.37cm on the right and 1.34cm on the left. They are measuring/weighing him in at a whopping 6lbs and one oz right now!! Which is only in the 63% for being 35weeks and 5 days. I was 8lbs 15oz when I was born and Jared was 8lbs 14.5 oz, so we both are assuming that he will be right around there when he is born.

What they are saying he has by the looks of the ultrasounds are Moderate Bilateral Pyelectasis w/Hydronephrosis along with a probable Mild Posterior Urethral Valves. So in layman's English terms now! Pyelectasis is the enlargement of the part of the kidney that collects urine (the renal pelvis) from 4 to 10 millimeters in diameter. Bilateral for those of you who might not know what that means is that both the kidneys are dilated, not just one. Posterior Urethral Valves (PUV) is an abnormality that occurs when the urethral valves, which are small leaflets of tissue, have a narrow, slit-like opening that partially impedes the urine flow. This is thought to develop in the early stages of fetal development and occurs more often in males vs. females. During the ultrasound his bladder was very large/distended b/c he wouldn't pee. We waited an extra 20-30 minutes for him to pee to see if the kidneys would get a little smaller with the urine being released from them down to the bladder but this kid would just not pee! From all of these findings we have a consult appt with a Pediatric Urologist on Tues Jan 5th to discuss what all this means, what to do until he is born, and what will be done after he is born. I am assuming they will for sure do an ultrasound on him after he is born in which they would be able to see much better what is going on in there since they won't have to go through my body to see him. We will find out much more next Tuesday when we meet with the doctor.

For those of who you are thinking of questions let me throw some more information out there. They will not take him early due to what is going on. The only reason they would is if my amniotic fluid level gets too low which right now is at 13.1 and they consider low at 7.9. This would mean that he is taking in the fluid but not putting it back out. I did ask that with all this going on if it meant that we would have to have c-section and both my DR and the perinatologist said no. Unless, when I am in labor he is showing signs of distress, I don't progress, or any other issue which could happen to any baby and any mom during the labor process. I do have quite a bit of swelling in my legs but they check my urine every time for protein and those levels have been great too. I have had some high blood pressure for a couple weeks which we have been monitoring but it looks like it is on its way back down to normal. Everyone asks if I have been having contractions and so far no. But you are asking someone who has never felt a contraction in her life if she has them so I really don't know! I'm assuming from what they have been described as that I have not or I would know. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask away. As of right now this is all the information I have but after Tuesday I will have more to update you on. Jared and I hope everyone had a great 2009 and has a better 2010!!

Tests, Nephews, and Showers

Well this week was a breeze for the BPP and NST's. I know I have said this before but we really do have an overachiever on our hands here!! Last week was his first one and he completed his BPP in 13 minutes (they allow up to 30 minutes to complete everything) with flying colors. Well this week he completed his BPP in 5 MINUTES!!! Then I went down to have my NST done and he must have changed moods quickly b/c he was very quiet for this. He established a good heart rhythm which is good, but then wasn't showing an accelerations so we poked and moved him around a little bit which did the trick b/c then he had no problem showing off again! We don't go back until the 23rd for the next set of test and then on the 30th to see our perinatologist to have our level II ultrasound done.

As many of you know my sister Michelle and nephew Christopher who live in New Hampshire were able to come to town for a little over a week which I wish could have lasted another 10 weeks b/c we had so much fun getting together again. Christopher is a hoot and loves playing Transformers in which Jared was much obliged to play with him. As I am sitting there watching them fly and drive Optimus Prime and Bumblebee all over the living room I thought to myself "this is going to be my life in 3 years!" Jared took on the challenge of babysitting Christopher during my baby shower. When I left them at home they were both laying on the couch under a blanket watching the Vikings game! It was so precious I actually did shed a tear walking up the stairs thanks to my awesome hormones. So as I said goodbye to one nephew today I have the pleasure of announcing the arrival of a new nephew!! My sister Julie who was 6 weeks further along then I am deliver Marshall Frederick Sipe today at 12:33pm weighing in at 9lbs and 1 ounce at 22inches long!!! Her induction was set up for tomorrow morning but decided that he would rather share a bday with his mom as today is Julie's 30th birthday!!! What a great way to celebrate!

I had my first baby shower this past Sunday which was thrown by my mother and two sisters and man was it a blast! Jared and I received so many nice gifts! Things are definitely starting to feel more real after receiving all those gifts knowing that in the next month and half we will need to use the stroller, infant seat, and blankets!! I can't thank everyone enough for all the great gifts and taking time out of your day to come and celebrate with me. Jared pretty much had a second Christmas going through everything at home!! My next shower is this coming Sunday which is being thrown for us by the Brechon women which I am looking forward to as it is always a great time with them!

BPP and NST's Weekly

Don't worry if you don't understand that title as I will explain it all. From the level II ultrasound we had done before Thanksgiving, the perinatologist recommended that the little guy have weekly BPP's (Bio Physical Profile) and NST's (Non Stress Tests) done. The bio physical profile consits of 5 criteria in which each criteria gets a score of 2 points to get a total of 10 points for everything. #1 Fetal Breathing - one episode of fetal breathing for more than 30 seconds. #2 Gross Fetal Movement - more than 3 body, limb, discrete or separate movements. #3 Fetal Tone - one episode of extension/flexion of limbs, head, or trunk. #4 Amniotic Fluid Volume - more than 2cm if more than 36 weeks and more than 3cm if less then 36 weeks. #5 is the NST test in which I am hooked up to the fetal monitor for 20 minutes and he has to show a stable heart rhythm with accelerations. If he scores an 8/10 then I just have to come back the next week for my next BPP/NST. If he scores a 6/10 then I have to come back the next day to have another BPP/NST done. If at any point he completely fails his NST and scores lower then a 6, I would be sent to Methodist Hospital to have extensive monitoring that could last anywhere from 6-10 hours all depending on what they are seeing from him. If during the monitoring anytime at Methodist they don't like what they see, then my DR said they will talk about delivery (SCARY thought as I am only 33 weeks on Sat). I asked if that meant a C-section and she said not necessarily as it would depend on how he is doing and if they feel like he would be okay for another 36 hours to induce and try a vaginal delivery. If they don't feel he is better off staying in for another 36 hours then they will do a C-section. Today he passed with flying colors at he got 8/8 in 13 minutes. They allow 30 minutes to score 8 point for the BPP. I did not have to do the NST today (hence the out of 8 points today) since I was on the monitor 2 days away at my DR's appt. For right now that is all that is going on with him/us. I am starting to get a cold so that is going to be really fun. I have my first shower on Sunday as I am really looking forward to that! At the level II ultrasound the tech pointed out a hair that was sticking straight up from his head which I was skeptical to believe but then again today the rad tech pointed out his hair so I started to believe them that he has hair! I actually got a really cute picture today that you can see his face, chin, and his chubby cheeks!! I will try to get some pictures up sunday from this ultrasound and the shower.

Perinatologist Appt

So at my ultrasound the Wednesday before Thanksgiving the radiologist noticed that the kidneys were dialted/enlarged and that the bladder was shaped like a key hole. What that means I couldnt' tell you. We were referred to see a perinatologist to have a Level II ultrasound done so they could look more closely and in depth at the kidneys. Yes, this is ultrasound #8 I have had!! The DR we saw was very very nice and explained things easily to us. The DR did say that this is more common in boys then girls but it is nothing to freak out about right now. Both kidneys measured about 5cm bigger then what they should. During the ultrasound they didn't see anything obstructing or blocking the kidneys or ureters. During the ultrasound they checked a couple times to make sure the bladder was emptying, which it was so that is a good sign and there was no key whole shape today. The DR also said that normally after delivery 50% of babies with dialted kidneys regulate themselves and nothing needs to be done. If after delivery the kidneys are still dialted/enlarged then it would require surgical correction. I have to go back to see the perinatologist in a month to have another ultrasound done to check the fluid levels around the baby and to measure the kidneys again. She said that if they are still dialated at this time that she would refer us to a pediatric urologist to talk about what needs to happen after delivery. This does not put me at high risk which is a good thing. They said he weighs about 4lbs 10oz right now. With all the measurements they took, he is measuring at about 9 days bigger then my due date, which if something does surgically need to be done this is a good thing b/c they would want him to be as big as possible for surgery. I will still be seeing my regular OB DR along with the perinatologist once in a while to check and make sure things are still ok. They also noticed that he was doing fetal breathing which means that he was practicing his breathing, what an overachiever he already is!! He was still head down but face down this time and did not want us to see his face. My next appt with my DR is actually this Tuesday so we will see what she has to say. Jared and I have our first birthing class tomorrow at Methodist Hospital so that should be interesting. I am intrigued to see what we will be doing and how things will go. We have it two Saturday mornings and tomorrow is one of two. I am most excited for the tour of Labor and Delivery at Methodist since I have never been there before. Other then that we are just anxiously waiting for Michelle and Christopher to come as they arrive on Monday and it has been a year since we have seen them!!! My sister who is 6 weeks further along then I am seems to be ready to go and deliver at anytime so I may have a new nephew by next weekend!!

Good Measurements

Jared and I got to see our little guy today b/c at my appt on Friday my fundal height was measuring 35cm compared to what I should have been at which is 30cm. They say that you should measure what your weeks are and on Friday I was 29 weeks and 6 days. So they wanted to do an ultrasound to make sure that this stubborn little boy wasn't measuring too big or that I didn't have too much amniotic fluid. The radiology tech actually happened to be my nurse practitioner's sister so that was cool! She was wicked nice and did a great job. After all the pictures and measurements she took, she confirmed that I am measuring TO THE DATE with my Jan 30th due date! More then likely it was just the position he was in when she was measuring on Friday. The rad tech asked if we knew what we were having and I told her that we saw one picture that it was a boy, but that if she saw something and wanted to really confirm it, that it would be fantastic! Needless to say the first picture she saw was CLEARLY boy, like all up in your face boy!!!! She was able to give us a picture of the "goods" which reaffirmed me b/c I have A LOT of boy things that really would have been a hassle to take back!! I cheated and looked in my medical record at work on the dictation by the radiologist and looks like he said that estimated fetal weight is 1587grams which is in the 52.3 percentile. Jared asked about how much she thought this little guy weighed and said that according to measurements he is right around 3 pounds! It's crazy to think that took 30 weeks to weigh 3 pounds but that in the next 9 weeks he will double his weight!!! He was face up but positioned head down, which coincides with all the jabs, kicks, and punches i feel on the right upper side of my stomach! Oh boy does this guy move! I will be laying on the couch and it literally looks like my stomach is having seizures! It is really cool to see though. I still have been feeling good. My ankles have been starting to swell, especially my left one. When I get home from work I elevate them right away and by morning they are back to normal. I have been having some pelvic/groin discomfort. Mainly just feeling sore and the nurse practitioner said that it is likely from my pelvic bones starting to move/shift and get ready for the delivery. Other then that nothing exciting has been going on. Jared and I are still having the name game discussion. We are still on Tanner or Connor, we do like Noah, but are always open to suggestions and ideas. Jared is currently getting backgrounded by Big Lake and New Hope police departments so send prayers our way for one of these to come through. I don't know why any department wouldn't want to hire him b/c he is going to make a fabulous police officer! We hope that everyone has a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving with safe travels for everyone!!

3 hours later and finally PASSED!!!

Since I failed my one hour glucose test I had to endure the 3 hours of sitting in the lab lobby 2 floors below my work not allowed to leave the lobby for any reason! My poor vein in my right arm was poked so many times I started to bruise. They had to draw blood 4 different times in order to obtain my fasting glucose levels. For curious people I will type out my level followed by the level it needed to be under so you can see the comparison (ex. 134/140). My original 1 hour test: 167/140 (bombed that one!). 3 hour test: Fasting level 94/95. First hour 145/180. Second hour 126/155. Third hour 63/140. As you can tell my levels were quite under this time which is good, for the exception of my fasting level (weird). When I finally was released from the locked cell of the lobby I went up to work and actually got quite light headed and nauseous since it had been 15 hours since I was able to eat or drink anything! You can tell why I got light headed since my blood sugar was 63!!!! I am very thankful that I passed this test because I did not want to have to deal with gestational diabetes. However, this gave Jared ample opportunity for him to nag at me for drinking pop. Everytime I would eat a piece of candy or crack a can of pop Jared would yell DIABETES!!! So supportive!! Just kidding! He has been very supportive, amazing, and interested through out the whole process (even though he likes the name Anakin!) It's hard to believe I will be 29 weeks tomorrow and will need to start going every 2 weeks to see my DR, CRAZY! Also, Jared and I have decided yet once again, to change DRs!! If you are shaking your head, I am right there with you! Due to an insurance change once again I will be seeing a DR at a Park Nicollet Clinic which is coveniently located one floor below me which makes it quite easy for upcoming appts as I can do them over my lunch hour instead of needing to take half days off of work. With this change that does mean that we will be changing hospitals for delivery also. Now, and I don't care about insurance anymore, we will FOR SURE be going to Methodist Hospital in St Louis Park. Right now we are registered for our birthing classes Dec 5th and 12th in which should be an interesting experience! We will get to take a tour of the birth center then so that will be fun! We finally got registered at Target and Babies R Us as Jared scanned EVERY SINGLE item on both lists. I did not once touch the scanner! My next appt is on Nov 20th so in the weeks to come you can check back for some updated information!

FAILED Test!!

No worries everything is fine!!! I had the pleasure of drinking the amazing orange sugar drink for my one hour glucose test and I bombed!!! My level was at 167 and my sister Julie told me that the cut off is normally around 140ish. So yeah, I really failed! Now I get the pleasure of drinking it AGAIN, and sitting in the lab lobby for 3 hours. I was instructed that I could not leave the lab to even go up and sit at my desk for work which is only 2 floors up!! This is going to be a blast. Not only do I have to sit there for 3 hours but I have to fast for 12 hours before also!!! Who honestly thinks a 28 week pregnant woman can go 12 hours without eating, seriously! The good thing is that my appt is at 7:30 in the morning! I may just go to bed at 8pm next monday night so I don't have to even think about how I can't eat anything. My hemoglobin was fine at 13.8.

I have been very lucky as I have not had any complications or problems with the pregnancy, up until now! This past Saturday night Jared and I actually went to the hospital to be put on the monitor. I was not feeling the little guy move as much as he normally does. I felt him Wed and a little bit on Thurs. I did not feel him at all on Friday or Saturday. I hesitated calling my doctor because I didn't want to be one of those first time pregnant mothers who freaks out over every little thing and thinks that every little thing is wrong with me. I called my sister Julie and my aunt Nicolle before calling my doctor to see what they thought and they both told me to call. I tried drinking orange juice and mountain dew along with poking the little guy to try to get him move. Go figure that once I got there and on the monitor he started moving! Stubbornness once again prevails!! I don't mean oh I feel a little kick here and there. I mean like full out body jabs like hello, I am here! With all the sugar I drank he had to be on a sugar overdose! The nurse was very nice and she found the heart beat right away and affirmed that it was probably just the position he moved into. Now he has been moving around just fine and even keeping me up sometimes at night.

Jared and I registered at babies r us the other weekend and holy cow! I preemptively apologize for the "big boy" toys on there like the Imaginext Batcave!!! Needless to say by the end he was anxious to get over to the "fun" toys!!! He actually scanned every single item as I did not touch the scanner once the whole time we were there. There are some things that we still need to get on there as Jared was wisked away to 2nd row Wild Hockey tickets that he couldn't pass up! It was really fun to register and we are looking forward to heading to Target to get that done too. That's all the exciting news for now!

SURPRISE...IT'S A BOY!!!!

It's a BOY!!!!!! Jared and I went to an appt today with our DR/clinic that we will be sticking with the rest of the time until delivery. (But, just our luck Jared will get a job 3 hours away and we will have to transfer to another hospital all over again!!!) We have decided that we will deliver at St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Shakopee, MN. If you would like to check it out for yourself here is the web link and you can play around on their website. http://www.stfrancis-shakopee.com/services_familybirthplace.htm

So as we transfered we were able to get another ultrasound done today in which was done by a radiology tech who was very very nice. She has only worked there 8 months but told us that she has had great success in finding the sex!! She saved the anticipation till the end in which she said that "it" is a boy and showed us the goods!! She was not able to print a picture for us as it is not a diagnostic necessity, but gave us a great view!! I asked how sure she was and she said she saw boy parts in the beginning but didn't want to say anything incase it was a one time occurrence or a view of the umbilical cord. Then she said that she noticed it a couple other times throughout the ultrasound and then at the end when she found it again she way confident. I actually had to get up and walk around for about 10 minutes because she didn't get a very good profile picture and needed to see the nasal bone. Baby was originally fully stretched out, head facing down, and sideways with his butt still sticking up in the air! After our walk baby boy Kuyper moved but only pulled his feet up to his head which didn't help at all what so ever, stubborn? She still had a hard time seeing it and mentioned that the radiologist will not be happy enough with the picture so more then likely next month we will have to go back to see if they can get a better view. Babies heart rate was 139 and was EXTREMELY active!! The rad tech even mentioned that he was being stubborn! Again, big surprise!!

It is actually quite funny that he is a boy because over 80% of our families swore it was going to be a girl. They had the "feeling" that is was a girl! Guess not! It will be really fun having a boy because my oldest sister is due in December with a boy and my brother and his fiance just had a boy in May! They will be the 3 musketeers together at family functions! And I have a cousin on the Jungers' side who is having a boy in December also!!! It's going to be crazy! Now Lucas won't be the only boy on the Brechon side!!! Nora will have to wear her princess crown a little longer on the Jungers' side until someone else decides to have another baby...hint hint MICHELLE LYNN!!!

Jared and I have talked about names. We actually have had names picked out since before we were married! We are not 100% set in stone on them and are open to change if we come across something else. I like Connor and Jared likes Tanner. With either name, the middle name will be Arthur which is Jared's and and his dad's middle name. Sorry if you don't like the names you will just have to deal with it!!! I promise the I will finally put up ultrasound pictures tonight when I go over to my parents to go shopping with my mom! I can't wait b/c now I can actually look specifically at one gender and not just say oh this is cute, that is cute and put it back on the rack!!!

20 weeks and still waiting...

The "big" appt was on Tuesday but nothing "big" happened. We went back down to Mankato for this appt to have the ultrasound done with my DR. Both Jared and I are glad to be out of there! It was weird going back down there and then leaving again. Everything looks great with baby. Since we were so determined to find out the sex, baby decided to make us wait even longer, stubbornness already!!! Maybe some things really are genetic!! Baby was breech with butt sticking straight up in the air! The umbilical cord was lying just oh so perfectly in between the legs covering up all anatomy to make it impossible to see either way!! The ultrasound was really cool. You could see babies feet tap dancing on my bladder. Which would make since because I feel like I spend more time in the bathroom then I do laying in bed sleeping! Babies heart rate was 148 and weighs 13oz! How can something so tiny be so stubborn already!!! Maybe it's a sign that Jared and I need to prepare. Baby was doing some cute poses with putting the hand on the face and moving fingers and toes around. Jared was too funny during this ultrasound. Dr Larson was down by the anatomy region and Jared and I both thought we say boy parts so Jared promptly says, "whoa, that's a big penis!" My Dr then explained that it was where the umbilical cord attaches to baby and that the untrained eye would assume that! That is then when Larson pointed out the umbilical cord is right in between the legs covering everything up. Needless to say we were really hoping to find out if it was a boy or a girl b/c you can only have so many green and yellow things! It would also make shopping easier and a lot more fun!! When Jared and I left the clinic we promptly went to Taco Bell to eat something spicy in hopes that baby would move if we were able to get back in later that day to do a quick peek with another ultrasound. My DR was a little too busy to get me back in so we are just going to have to wait till next month!

I have now found a DR up here in the cities and will be going there on Oct 13th. They will be repeating an ultrasound because my DR in Mankato didn't get the best look at the heart and would like to take another look when it will be a bigger/easier to see. Baby and I read a book together everyday and have a "talk" after about maybe cooperating at the next appt. We are going to a family wedding the weekend of the 16th, 17th, 18th so it would be fun to be able to tell everyone!

I was laying on the ground the other day on my stomach and thought I felt baby moving. I told Dr Larson about it and he said that if I continue to feel the same movements that it probably is baby moving. Jared asks everyday if I can feel baby moving yet. I think he is a little anxious to be able to feel the baby move too. It might make it a little more "real" to him once he can feel the jabs and punches! At the end of the day, regardless boy or girl, we are happy that baby is healthy and growing.

August Baby News

This past Thursday I had my 16-17 week appt with Dr. Larson. It was a relief to have him back since my July appt was pretty worthless. We started off by talking about the different testing that you can do to predict birth defects and genetic defects. I also asked him about not wanting to eat but forcing myself to eat, expect for fruit which I could eat non stop all day long! He said it is still normal and isn't too worried that I feel this way even though I am almost half way through the pregnancy (SCARY THOUGHT!) He also said that if it continues through 20 weeks then he will start to get a little concerned. Dr. Larson just suggested that when I do eat, forcing or not, that I try to eat things with a lot of protein. We did another ultrasound and took measurements in which confirmed the original January 30th due date. It was really cool to do the ultrasound this month b/c baby actually looked like a baby! When we started the ultrasound baby was moving around and giving us a thumbs up which almost made me cry! But lately it seems like anything and everything can make me cry! Dr. Larson is great at explaining what we are looking at on the screen. He used the head, chest cavity, and the femur for the measurements. It was so cool to see body parts like the ribs, spine, arms and baby moving. At every ultrasound he also checks my uterus b/c of the heart shape and actually said that it is starting to "flatten" out as the uterus gets bigger. Baby weighs about 6oz and the heart beat was 142.

My last day at the hospital was on Friday and it was hard to leave everyone there. It was by far my favorite job I have ever had and I will actually miss it. However, it is very nice to permanently be back in the cities. My background for DCC was completed last Monday so I am hoping to hear from them this week. Jared is still at the Rosemount armory doing army things. Today Jared and I went to a movie and walked around the Southdale mall for a bit. We went into Macy's to look around and Jared came to the infant department. He of course went right to the boys clothes but I saw him peering over at the little girls section! We eneded up buying a really cute sleep and play and one onesie which are gender neutral since we don't know the sex yet.

The much anticipated 20 weeks appt is on Sept 15th in which we are hoping and praying that baby cooperates and we can find out the sex. We will be going back to see Dr. Larson in Mankato for this appt. I have been looking for some dr's up here in the cities and have been thinking about places for the delivery but it all depends on where we will be living and where insurance is covered. I will be posting all of the ultrasound pictures this week since I am finally in the cities but I'm only able to do it at my parents house since our printer/scanner is in storage. We are also excited as we found out this past week that we will have another nephew! My sister Julie is pregnant and due mid December, only 6 weeks further along then I am!!

Jared Passes

Just wanted to let everyone know that Jared did a great job with our nephew Carter! Jared some how avoided changing any diapers but he did feed and burp him for me. He must have some sort of special touch b/c Carter sleep through the whole night 1130pm to 630am!! Carter made it easy for us b/c he is a great baby and my brother and fiance have no clue how lucky they are. Jared and I can only hope and pray that our little one is as laid back as Carter is.

My next DR's appt is Aug 20th and we will be doing another ultrasound. I have not been able to get pictures up b/c our scanner wasn't working but now that we have moved I have some spare time to get things fixed. I will be 16 weeks and 5 days at my appt so hopefully next month we will be able to find out the sex and stop calling him/her "it." My mom did some pencil with a needle in the eraser voo doo thing and it said girl which coincides with my mother in law's intuition that it's also a girl! We will find out soon enough. Check back in a week for some pictures!

Trial Run

So this weekend Jared and I are headed up to the cabin to hang out with my family and spend some one on one time with my 2 month old nephew! We are watching him Saturday, OVERNIGHT Saturday, and all day Sunday! This will be the first time that Jared will have a baby sleep over so things could get interesting! I am hoping that this will be good practice for not only him, but both of us! Good thing my mom's cabin is only 2 down!! I know that Jared can't wait to get up for the 3am feeding. He has already called dibs on it, he just doesn't know yet!! Wish us luck and stay tuned for an update later next week to see if Jared passed the test or not, even though I know he will do fine!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!

Baby and mom just wanted to wish a very important and special soon-to-be dad A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! We wish we were able to spend this special day with you because we love you very much and don't like being away from you!!! Hope you have a wonderful day and that you get to play video games all day without any interruptions!!! Love you...Mean it :)

Moving and Much more

This past weekend Jared and I finally moved out of Mankato and back to the cities!! YAY! I can't even say that it was bitter sweet to leave, more like good riddance. The only things that we will miss are the friends we made, the water pressure in our apartment, our DVR, and our king bed while it is in storage. Jared's parents have graciously opened their basement to us so we will be living with them until right before baby comes or when Jared finds a job before that. We pretty much have everything in a 10x by 10x storage unit and if you open it you may become part of the storage mess with things falling on top of you! Next time we make a really big move, I will be hiring someone/company to come in a move for us!!!

Jared will be working at the Rosemount armory full time doing some National Gaurd stuff until he finds a police officer job. Yesterday he had an interview at the U of M and has some other applications heading out in the mail too. He recently bought NCAA Football 2010 for his xbox and is very very anxiously awaiting Madden 2010 also. I am actually okay with him playing his games b/c right now all I want to do is lay in bed or on the couch in a ball, more to come on this. Jared has recovered from our last OB appt and is back to asking questions. I can't even drink a can of Sprite without him telling me that I shouldn't be drinking pop b/c of the caffeine. I then kindly remind him that Sprite, Sierra Mist, and Ginger Ale are caffeine free!!! Many people like to touch pregnant bellies regardless if you know the person or not. As we were laying in bed Jared proceeded to tell me "That he will be touching my stomach once baby gets bigger no matter what!" I thought it was so cute when he said it b/c he had such a serious and stern voice about it!

Even though we moved this past weekend I am staying with some friends in Eagle Lake which is only about 8 minutes away from Mankato. I will be down here until August 21st. That is when I will be able to move all my stuff up to the cities. However, I will make a couple trips back down to Mankato for work and my Sept prenatal appt. I am in the process of being backgrounded for a 911 dispatcher position with Dakota County. I am hoping that things will be nearing the finalizing stages and I would be able to start around mid Sept. I have not been feeling well at all. I thought things were supposed to get better going into the second trimester??? I felt great up to week 11 without any vomiting and a very rare case of the nauseous queezies. Now all that has changed. I have not been vomiting but I am nauseous a lot and I have really bad food aversions. I may think that someone sounds good to eat but when I go to eat it, I take two bites and thats all I can do. I have been forcing myself to eat lately b/c food just doesn't sound good. No matter how naseous I am I could always eat a peanut butter and pickel sandwich!!! I get tired very quickly in which is makes working these overnights 100 times harder then before. My next appt is on August 20th when my DR (thank goodness) will do yet another ultrasound to finally get some measurements and give me a better expected due date. I am not sure where I will be going for my prenatal care once I am permanently in the cities. I will have my Sept appt with my DR here in Mankato and I am hoping that we will be able to find the sex out in Sept!

It's crazy to think that in two months we will be half way done with the entire pregnancy!!! Time really does fly by! Well I better get back to work!! Since I haven't had internet for a while I am at work and updating this so maybe I should get back to getting some things done tonight! Once I can get a scanner I will put up some ultrasound pictures. Congrats to Brian and Megan on their adorbale baby girl Cassidy!!!

July Appt Visit

Today we had another appt at the DR's office but was unable see my regular physician as he was on vacation. Jared had decided to come with me today since we were doing another ultrasound and he had not yet heard or seen the heartbeat. This DR was quite busy today so we waited a while for her to come in and talk to us. So finally as she is done asking how I feel, blah blah blah, she asks me to change into a gown so she can do a physical exam. For many of you who know Jared he DISLIKES hospitals and DR's very very much! An example of how much he really hates hospitals is back in Aug 2005, I had emergency surgery after we took our engagement pictures on my wrist b/c of a staff infection. Jared propped a chair up against the wall right outside my room and would turn his head to peak in and talk to me!!! He is in for a rude awakening come delivery day!!! So when she left the room I started laughing b/c the one appt he finally is able to come to I have to get in a gown and have a physical performed in front of him! Needless to say that when she told me to put my feet in the stirrups he put his hands over his eyes and turned away!!! I was never told that I was going to need a physical today otherwise I would have let Jared pass on this appt!!! So we finally got into the ultrasound room to take some measurements to confirm the Jan 30th due date. This was the whole reason I was having another ultrasound today. The DR was having a really hard time getting a good view/picture of the baby to get some measurements but was nice enough to let Jared hear the heartbeat as I made of point of telling her this is why he came today. The heartbeat was in the 160's she said (last time it was 155 so not much difference). Of course, the old wives tale that the faster the heartbeat the more likely it is to be a girl, in which my mother in law would be over the hill with excitement!! I wasn't such a fan of the DR I saw today. She seemed rushed, didn't really try to get a good picture to take measurements, and seemed like she didn't really care about me or baby. My next appt is on Aug 20th which will happily be with my primary DR. Maybe after the next appt there will be more news to report.

How we found out and told family....

On May 11th I was having really bad left flank plan that was persisting for some weeks before and finally decided to go to Urgent Care to get checked out mainly because my mother would not stopping calling me unless I went in. The nurse practitioner I saw thought maybe I had a kidney stone stuck in my ureter (tube that connects your kidneys to your bladder). She sent me to the hospital for a CT Scan in which revealed no kidney stone but an Ovarian Cyst on my left ovary which was consist with a Dermoid cyst. I was referred to an OB/GYN specialist who I saw on May 13th for the cyst in which I discussed with her the option of a laparoscopy surgical removal in which I would need to be referred to the Mayo Clinic. A week and a half later I was having really bad abdominal cramping which felt like menstrual cramps, but hadn't had my period since March 28th. I called Mayo to see if I get could in any earlier then my scheduled appt but that was unsuccessful. An appointment was made with my OB/GYN nurse practitioner that I see for my "women" appointments. I got to the clinic on May 29th and she asked if I could be pregnant and of course I said no, considering at urgent care we did a blood and urine test before I went over for my CT scan. Even though I said no, my practitioner wanted to do another test "just in case" and in my head I am thinking, "this is ridiculous, a waste of time and my money!!" So I go to the bathroom, pee in a cup and return to the room. The next thing I know my practitioner is walking in the room holding a white square thing in her hand while smiling and says, "You're Pregnant!" I looked at her with my jaw dropped and said "excuse me?? that isn't possible." I was in complete shock and didn't know what to say so instead I shed some tears! She took me in to do an internal ultrasound to find the gestational sack of cells. My now OB physician came in to find the sack as my nurse practitioner was unable to find it, and noticed that among the sack of cells that my uterus is heart shaped. My DR said that this is nothing to be worried/concerned about and that I am just at a little more risk for pre-term labor or the baby being in a breech position. My physician is going with the first day of my last period of April 28th because of the measurements he took it was more consistent with this time frame compared to March 28th. He also said that conception either happened the day of my CT scan or the day after. I was given the pee test and an ultrasound picture to take home in a biohazard bag still in pure shock!

I didn't believe that I was pregnant so I bought another pregnancy test from Target and took it when I got to my parent's house. Low and behold there were still two pink lines! So I added it to my biohazard bag and threw it in my purse! Jared came to my parent's house to pick me up so we could go out to his parent's house in which Annette was already sleeping and Steve wasn't home. So as we were standing in the entry way I handed Jared the biohazard bag and said "look at this." He didn't know what he was supposed to be looking at but after a couple minutes he was like, "um, are you pregnant?" Needless to say he was in complete shock also! No, we were not specifically trying and mapping out when I was ovulating, but we knew it could be a possibility. Jared didn't say anything for about 30 minutes and then says "can we tell people? Can I call Nicolle and Scott?" We ended up telling both of our parents that same weekend! We told his parent's and Gma Kuyper over brunch on Sunday after church. For some reason Steve really likes to refer to mine and Jared's sex life as our "homework." Even in Mississippi before Jared deployed to Iraq, Steve came up in between us and put his arms around both of our shoulders and asked, "how's the homework coming along?" So Jared thought there would be no better way to tell them then to say "we completed our homework." Both Steve and Annette sat there trying to understand what Jared meant, then he clarified for them saying that Melissa is pregnant! Upon that, it still took about 30 seconds before the squeals came from Annette and her calling Steve grandpa!!! My mom found out because she was talking about a cruise that she found wicked cheap that would be in December and I told her that I wouldn't be able to go because I would 7-8 months pregnant, and I told my dad after church on Sunday telling him that now all his children will have children of their own!

We're Expecting!!

As most of you know already Jared and I are expecting Baby Kuyper on/or around January 30th, 2010!! It was a surprise to us as well as to much of our family. This will be the first grandchild on the Kuyper's side and the fifth on the Jungers' side staying in true Jungers' fashion as 3 other Jungers' cousins are pregant and all due within 8 weeks of one another! Everyone in both of our families are as excited as Jared and I are!! As of today I am 10 weeks and 5 days and have my next appointment on the 17th. Jared will be able to come with me so he will be able to hear the heart beat!! I heard the heart beat at my last appointment and freely admit that I shed some tears in pure happiness! It still feels sureal as I have not had any sickness (knock on wood), food aversions, or cravings yet. I feel very blessed and lucky because I know how horrible the first trimester can be for some women.