26 Weeks Pregnant

Hello all. Well it is another blog and another week. I am 26 weeks pregnant today and had an appointment with an ultrasound specialist and the fluid in the kidney is caused by a pinch in the urethra. It is called renal pyelectosis and caliectasis which sounds worse than it is (in lame man terms kinking) we also found out today that Reagan Joy will not have to be in the NICU when she is born and they will monitor her by ultrasounds and antibiotics until it corrects itself and if it doesn't then we have to do a little surgery before she is 2 and if not then she will develop hypertension and the kidney could be destroyed.

Reagan has been moving a lot and doing her thing, every time I have an ultrasound she covers her face and kicks the thing that she does the ultrasound with haha she is one stubborn girl! We got a DVD of the ultrasound today and when I was watching it at home, Rilee was watching it with me and just by her expressions it was like she was thinking "what the heck is that guys, you better be able to return that." On a different note, we have decided to go a head and start potty training Rilee even though she is "hearing impaired" she is still becoming curious and willing to learn.

Rilee has just been the most special little thing this week, I just look at her and think "wow I am going to have another one!" I feel Reagan kicking so much that it just becomes more surreal I only have 14 weeks left (which sounds like a lot, but really it's not!) Here is what Reagan is developing this week The network of nerves in your Reagan's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She may now be able to hear my voice and Larry's as we talk to eachother or to her. She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And she's continuing to put on baby fat. She now weighs about two pounds six ounces which is a pound more than the average 26 week baby so she is going to be bigger than Rilee was. Also The retina completes the development of its normal layers this week—all the better to see inside. Well not inside, per se, because her eyes are still sealed shut and it's really dark in there, but your Reagan's eyes are now fully developed. Brainwaves for the auditory and visual systems are detectable in Reagan's noggin this week. That means Reagan's brain is registering things like sound and light. She can't understand what any of it means yet, but she's on track to comprehend an entire episode of Blue's Clues in no time!

Larry and I haven't had any changes since the last time so nothing to report here! Hope you like the pictures of the 4D images that we got today as much as we enjoy them! Love all of you and may God Bless this week and every week to come!

25 Weeks Pregnant

Well I am back for another blog, so I will keep you updated on how things have been going this last week. Rilee has I think hit her "terrible two's" or she is just getting completely frustrated that she cannot communicate with Larry and I. She really tries to tell us what she wants, but it is not only frustrating for her, but is also for us. When we punish her it is hard, because we cannot tell her why we did what we did and she doesn't know what she did was wrong. Sure she has an "evil" look on her face when she knows she isn't supposed to touch something and does it anyway, but most of the time we shake our head "no" it is hard to tell whether or not she really understands what we are saying.

We made her an appointment with the Audiologist and the Ears Nose and Throat Doctor for the 31st of March and the reason it is so far ahead, is because Dr. Fear is the only one that does surgeries in this area and with the cochlear implants we are not complaining on having to wait considering I think it is going to be a fast process once we get in there to the time we get her the implant so please pray that everything goes smoothly and that we will not have to wait long.

Larry has been working a lot lately he had to go to Klamath on Tuesday and go back yesterday and then his boss calls him and says he needs to go to Salem and help another depot out because they were down 4 guys until Saturday so he will be up there until late Saturday evening. Of course I am going to miss him, because I would have only saw him 1 day basically this whole week. Call me crazy, but unlike some wives I really enjoy my husbands company, and miss him when he is gone!

Reagan has been moving and kicking a lot lately so I know she is healthy, I went in for my ultrasound on Wednesday and the kidney is looking the same which is great because the amniotic fluid is perfect around Reagan and the umbilical cord is getting enough blood which has to do with the kidneys so the Right one is doing all the work which is wonderful. She checked everything else, and her heart, brain, and little body is working wonderfully. Everything is right on track, like I said last blog, she is scheduled to come on the 26th of May via c-section, I was hesitant about that at first, but the more I think about it, the more I am liking the idea. I like the fact that I will be able to wear makeup the morning of the surgery and look "beautiful" for pictures with my new little girl and my family. Last time I looked like I was ran over by a mack truck haha.

This week Reagan from Head to heels, now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

We got more ultrasound pictures as well, so here are some 4D pictures that we got they are so cool!!!





Thanks for reading this week. May God bless this week and many to come!!!

The Allen's

24 Weeks Pregnant

I know I do one of these every week, but it is so much fun to look up facts and stuff about how big that baby is getting now and share with you all how things are going with the Allen family. So this last week has been pretty uneventful, Larry was gone for 3 days out in Brookings for work so I was home with Rilee and my mom. Rilee has been wanting to help so much in the kitchen and around the house. I am loving that she wants to help and do more things, but sometimes I feel "I can do it so much faster by my self" Does that make me a bad mom?

On Sunday we celebrated Rilee and Larry's birthday's at the church with some friends and family and it was so nice. Rilee got a lot of things that she plays with all the time which is nice and she loved her cake that I made for her as well. It was way better than her 1st birthday, because she was more interactive and knew that cake was a good thing and she didn't pick at it she dug into it haha.

Larry has been working hard as always and we are really grateful that the Lord has given Larry a job to begin with. With this economy we cannot complain with what we have. I told Larry that it has been nice that he has been going away for 2-3 days out of the week every week, because I actually get things done! The room stays clean and the laundry stays done, and when he comes home my routine gets lost haha.

Lets get to why I am writing this blog in the first place. Reagan will be 24 weeks as of Feb. 7. 2010 and she has been moving around in my belly so much more than Rilee every did. Reagan's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

I will have to get the glucose tolerance test soon because they want me to do it at 28 weeks. I took one not too long ago, but just to be on the safe side they want to check me out again. When I was in the hospital for a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) they said the strangest thing, they said that my medical records from my other OBGYN said that I had Hepatitis C. I was freaking out but then I realized that it was probably a mistake on my part when I filled out the paper work, but just to make sure thy are are going to test me for it anyway.

My next appointment is on the 10th for an ultrasound to make sure the kidney thing hasn't grown faster than she has and then I have another regular OBGYN appointment on the 3rd of March and then after that appointment I will start going 2 a month until I am 32 weeks and then I will go once a week so doctors appointments are in my future. They called me on Wednesday to schedule my C-Section so it is starting to feel oh so real. My scheduled C-Section will be May 26, 2010 so that will be the day that we welcome Reagan Joy into the world and it is so nice to know that I won't have to go through all that pain and LONG labor. I have definitely changed my mind on doing a VBAC, because this way when we take Family pictures I won't look like Hell and look pretty haha.

We still don't know what will happen after she is born whether she will have to be in the NICU or will be able to be with us. That will all be determined on how fast and severe this fluid build up is and she will know more about that on my next appointment. Please pray that everything will go okay and that Reagan will be doing just fine. I will posting a new blog when I learn more about what is going on. Thanks for reading and see you next week.

The Allen's