Hello family and friends I hit 35 weeks on Monday and will be 36 Weeks on Wednesday May 5,2010 I cannot wait for that because I know I am getting close. I have 6 out of the 9 regular signs of labor:
Emotional Signs which is Nesting
Diarrhea (I know you didn't want to know that)
Engagement (when the baby drops)
Pelvic Floor Pressure (Which is totally PAINFUL)
Discharge (again you didn't need to know that but oh well)
Early Contractions or Braxton Hicks
The other signs are:
Membranes Rupturing (Water breaking)
Regular or steady contractions
Softening of the Cervix or Dilation
Reagan is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Reagan swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.
At the end of this week, Reagan will be considered full-term Hallelujah. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) She's in a head-down position which won't matter in my case, because I am having a C-section. At the beginning of this week, I went into the doctor for Braxton Hicks contractions (which is false labor) I again felt so stupid because I should know what the real one's feel like but of course with me those stupid things feel real!
We also got a call from the Audiologist for Rilee and found out that we will be getting her Hearing Aid for the left ear on the 6th of May and we cannot believe that Rilee will be able to hear a little bit for now until we get her, her cochlear implant. At least she will be able to tell us that we love her and no haha. As I observe Rilee, she truly acts like a regular 2 year old she just doesn't talk! We will also be going up on the 3rd of June (1 week after Reagan's scheduled due date) to Portland to do the Cochlear Implant Consultation! This weight has been lifted off of our shoulders and we are so happy we see a light at the end of the tunnel!
We appreciate all your thoughts and prayers and we will keep you all posted soon. Love you all!!!
The Allen's
Larry and I have been married now for almost 7 years.We have two daughters Rilee and Reagan who are just the most amazing little girls God could have given us. We are living in Talent, Oregon where Rilee is attending Talent Elementary in the fall, Larry works at Miller Paint in Ashland, and I am a freelance Paralegal from home. Reagan is a spunky three year old who loves to make you laugh and pushes every button I have.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
34 Weeks Pregnant
Reagan is almost here!!! Reagan is continuing to grow and fill out. Not much is changing in her, except she is adding on valuable weight. Some babies will weigh in a bit larger and others a bit smaller. Some babies will also be longer or shorter. Every baby is unique. And she is definitely larger than Rilee was at this point, she is more active and I definitely get more heartburn which hopefully means that she will have a lot of hair, I don't think I would like a baby with NO HAIR!! (Not really I would love her no matter what!)
I have been getting those Braxton-Hicks Contractions which are less painful this time around then they were with Rilee. I think that it is because I know exactly what to look for. For those of you don't know what Braxton-Hicks contractions are they feel like a tightening at the top of your uterus that spreads down and then relaxes. Many women mistake Braxton-Hicks contractions for true labor contractions, but this is rarely the case. Braxton-Hicks contractions will diminish if you get up and walk around and they should not be painful.
Reagan's hair continues to get longer and thicker. Reagan's hair color probably is not going to be the same color from birth onwards, so you should expect it to change in color. If I were to have the c-section now, it would probably be called a pre-term infant instead of premature. The only difference is in the maturity, particularly lung maturity. A pre-term baby is less likely to need intensive care because its lungs have developed. Doctors can test lung maturity with an amniocentesis that checks levels of surfactant.
On a more exciting note, I called OHSU (Oregon Health and Science University) and we got her appointments set for June 3rd and 4th for the tests they have to run and the consultation to pick Rilee's cochlear device and then after that they will schedule her surgery and by the end of June Rilee should have everything DONE thank the LORD things are finally going to be over!! I still cannot believe that her appointment is 8 days after Reagan is born, which is funny, because we will spend 3 days in the hospital and then I am going to come home and pack to go to Portland!! OH MY GOODNESS!!! God has really been good to us and we couldn't be happier with the results of how things are going to play out. The sooner we get this done the sooner Rilee will be able to hear. Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers we love you all so much!!
The Allens
I have been getting those Braxton-Hicks Contractions which are less painful this time around then they were with Rilee. I think that it is because I know exactly what to look for. For those of you don't know what Braxton-Hicks contractions are they feel like a tightening at the top of your uterus that spreads down and then relaxes. Many women mistake Braxton-Hicks contractions for true labor contractions, but this is rarely the case. Braxton-Hicks contractions will diminish if you get up and walk around and they should not be painful.
Reagan's hair continues to get longer and thicker. Reagan's hair color probably is not going to be the same color from birth onwards, so you should expect it to change in color. If I were to have the c-section now, it would probably be called a pre-term infant instead of premature. The only difference is in the maturity, particularly lung maturity. A pre-term baby is less likely to need intensive care because its lungs have developed. Doctors can test lung maturity with an amniocentesis that checks levels of surfactant.
On a more exciting note, I called OHSU (Oregon Health and Science University) and we got her appointments set for June 3rd and 4th for the tests they have to run and the consultation to pick Rilee's cochlear device and then after that they will schedule her surgery and by the end of June Rilee should have everything DONE thank the LORD things are finally going to be over!! I still cannot believe that her appointment is 8 days after Reagan is born, which is funny, because we will spend 3 days in the hospital and then I am going to come home and pack to go to Portland!! OH MY GOODNESS!!! God has really been good to us and we couldn't be happier with the results of how things are going to play out. The sooner we get this done the sooner Rilee will be able to hear. Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers we love you all so much!!
The Allens
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Rilee
In this blog I thought I would dedicate this to my wonderful daughter Rilee who is just the most precious little thing God ever blessed us with. Everything seems to be finally falling into place. I am so tired of doctors appointments right now that I told Larry if I walk into another doctors office and smell some sort of medication I am going to SCREAM haha. Rilee had her c-t scan yesterday really early yesterday and everything turned out normal there were no holes in her ear drum and all her nerves in her ears were developed all the way. Part of me feels pretty selfish for wanting there to be something wrong so we could know what happened and why she lost her hearing, but maybe God doesn't want us to know and sometimes it is better not knowing.
During her C-T Scan she had to be sedated, because we felt that because of her hearing loss it would be scary for her to go into this big tunnel and not know what the heck was going on! So it was an oral antistatic which is great because I hate it when they have to poke her with needles and so does she. As the antistatic kicked in Rilee began to act goofy and "drunk" haha. She was so funny she would hiccup and laugh so hard and then look at me and sway back and fourth and think that was hilarious! The doctor said she did so well and that there were NO problems which I was happy about! So after her appointment, we went to breakfast to get her something to eat and drink because she was HUNGRY and ate all of it also managed to get a LOT of syrup in her hair from falling asleep in her pancakes. Then after all the fun wore off she began to get mean I think Rilee would be a mean drunk haha!
Rilee is just blossoming into her own self. She is running (not walking) everywhere which I came to the conclusion for her safety that I got her one of those safety harnesses for her to wear if we are going to be doing a lot of walking around or at the mall so she won't wonder off. We know how easy it is for a 2 year old to get lost and especially with her hearing impairment it is crucial that we keep an eye on her AT ALL TIMES. It is truly scary the kidnapping rates in this country and I don't want ANY of my kids being on that list!
Rilee has really enjoyed playing in her room and sleeping in her "big girl" bed. Every night around 7:30 she starts heading to her room, crawls into bed, and waits for me to get her a book to read before she can fall asleep. I bet some of you are wondering "why are you reading to her if she can't hear you?" And my response is that no matter if she can hear me or not it is something that she likes to do with mommy and she knows that is what happens before bed time. After we read we pray and she kisses me good night and in about 5-10 minutes she is out like a light. I have been so blessed to get a child that is GOOD sleeper and not a TERROR who doesn't sleep at all!
I sat back today and really thought about how Rilee acted when she was an infant and how she acts now, and it really isn't that much different. Rilee has always been "vocal" and always been a very self occupying baby! I am just curious how she will act when Reagan finally arrives. Hopefully she loves her and helps out as much as she can. She will be going in on Wednesday the 21st of April for her hearing aid consultation which I am super excited about, because this will be the appointment where we pick out her hearing aid and fit it to her ear and then hopefully get the finished product real soon after that! Larry and I want to thank everyone for there thoughts and prayers over these last 6 months helping us deal with all the stress and giving us the hope that everything will be okay! We love all of you individual so much and are so excited for when Rilee can hear we can tell her how many people love her and how she has so much support! Love You All
The Allens
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Easter, 32 and 33 Weeks Pregnant
Hello everyone. Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend I know I am. Easter was a wonderful day with family and reminiscing about Jesus dying on the cross to save our sins. The day before Easter we colored eggs for the first time and let me just say that Rilee just had a ball decorating all the eggs and splashing them in the dye, which I couldn't help but laugh because every time they would splash Larry would get wet oh yeah baby get daddy haha. Rilee got a bunch in her Easter basket that was from Grammy, Nana, Daddy, Mommy, Aunt Janel and of course Papa Smurf (Randy) we sure did buy stuff for her to get to work:
she got a couple shovels, rakes, a broom and dust pan, a wheel barrel which was what her basket was, a sun hat, a bunch of jelly beans, a hoe, and other little gardening supplies she just loved it.
The little basket in front of the big one is from Aunt Janel. Larry loved this one most of all, because it was simple and to the point a few little gifts here and there that were adorable and of course the chocolate bunny that he oh so enjoyed haha.
So let's get to the pregnancy update: I am excited to announce that I am going to be 33 Weeks pregnant here on the 12Th and am ready for this whole thing to be done and over with. This pregnancy sure has been a lot of ups and downs but I can sure say that this last month will be awesome considering I have nothing more to worry about with Reagan's kidneys (that was an answer to prayer right there)
By now, Reagan should weigh 3.75 lbs according to baby center, but she is much larger then that at 31 weeks she already weighed close to 5 lbs. my goodness she is going to much bigger than Rilee so in this instance I am going to be happy I am having a C-section haha. She is also around 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in my uterus. I am gaining about a pound a week (from what all the specialists say I am supposed to do) and roughly half of that goes right to her. As Rebekah calls Aiden her little leach is about right they suck all the nutrients and everything right out of you haha. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz but I am guessing she will have about the same if not more then Rilee). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.
I cannot believe that we have only 6 weeks left until we get to meet her. We are down in California at my mother-in-law's right now getting a bunch of stuff to bring back up. We got the crib, all the clothes, the diaper gene, bottles (that we still had), stroller, infant car seat, and a few nick nacks here and there. Overall we are set! We might have to do a few rearranging once we get back home because I am thinking that is going to be a tight fit with both the girls in one room. Wow it feels weird just typing "both girls" I cannot believe that we are going to have two children scary yet exciting at the same time!
Well I am going to go hope you all enjoy the rest of your week. And I will keep you updated on everything that will be going on this next week: We have Rilee's C-T scan for her ears on Tuesday and I have a doctors appointment on Wednesday (boy am I going to LOVE not having to go the doctors all the time). Love you all and God Bless.
The Allen's
she got a couple shovels, rakes, a broom and dust pan, a wheel barrel which was what her basket was, a sun hat, a bunch of jelly beans, a hoe, and other little gardening supplies she just loved it.
The little basket in front of the big one is from Aunt Janel. Larry loved this one most of all, because it was simple and to the point a few little gifts here and there that were adorable and of course the chocolate bunny that he oh so enjoyed haha.
So let's get to the pregnancy update: I am excited to announce that I am going to be 33 Weeks pregnant here on the 12Th and am ready for this whole thing to be done and over with. This pregnancy sure has been a lot of ups and downs but I can sure say that this last month will be awesome considering I have nothing more to worry about with Reagan's kidneys (that was an answer to prayer right there)
By now, Reagan should weigh 3.75 lbs according to baby center, but she is much larger then that at 31 weeks she already weighed close to 5 lbs. my goodness she is going to much bigger than Rilee so in this instance I am going to be happy I am having a C-section haha. She is also around 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in my uterus. I am gaining about a pound a week (from what all the specialists say I am supposed to do) and roughly half of that goes right to her. As Rebekah calls Aiden her little leach is about right they suck all the nutrients and everything right out of you haha. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz but I am guessing she will have about the same if not more then Rilee). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.
I cannot believe that we have only 6 weeks left until we get to meet her. We are down in California at my mother-in-law's right now getting a bunch of stuff to bring back up. We got the crib, all the clothes, the diaper gene, bottles (that we still had), stroller, infant car seat, and a few nick nacks here and there. Overall we are set! We might have to do a few rearranging once we get back home because I am thinking that is going to be a tight fit with both the girls in one room. Wow it feels weird just typing "both girls" I cannot believe that we are going to have two children scary yet exciting at the same time!
Well I am going to go hope you all enjoy the rest of your week. And I will keep you updated on everything that will be going on this next week: We have Rilee's C-T scan for her ears on Tuesday and I have a doctors appointment on Wednesday (boy am I going to LOVE not having to go the doctors all the time). Love you all and God Bless.
The Allen's
Friday, April 2, 2010
Reagan's Ultrasound Update
Hello everyone I had an ultrasound appointment today for the fluid that was in Reagan's kidney. And to our surprise the fluid is GONE it was at 13 ML on the 24Th of February and when we got it measured today all the fluid was NORMAL and I will not have to go back for any SPECIAL ultrasound appointments we are so happy that God provided and everything is going to be okay!! Here are some pictures from today Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a miraculous Easter
The Allen's
The Allen's
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)