Bladder=Soccer Ball

So, I think Avery will be a soccer player like his dad.
He has very strong legs and feet and loves to kick my bladder like a soccer ball. Hey, at least he's making me get my excercise.....I have to walk to the bathroom 545521212 times a day.
I love feeling him move, however, can't complain. I just love knowing Avery is growing. I can feel he's bigger. I started feeling him move at 18 weeks and Danny could never feel him. Now, at 24 weeks, Danny can see my belly moving and flopping around from across the room.

Being pregnant is such a surreal feeling. I still can't believe our son is inside of me, and I'm growing him. That is a miracle! How do people not believe in God when they are having a child? The entire process is absolutely impossible to fathom or understand. God thought everything out very well! Everything about the development of a baby makes sense and I just know He is real now, more than ever. For example: did you know the umbilical cord has no nerves so the baby feels no pain when it is cut? Well, duh! God knew what He was doing! Also, the baby's skin is covered in a protective coating so they don't shrivel up in amniotic fluid. AMAZING! The details were so carefully thought out by Him.

Danny's been working hard at re-painting the baby's crib. But JC Penney decided to torture me and has my bedding on back-order. His nursery will have a light blue and dark brown polka-dot theme. Danny says polka-dots aren't very manly.

So we have quite a long day scheduled this coming Friday at Children's of Cincinnati. A lot of you are praying, and I am so thankful for that. We are very, very optimistic. Avery's diagnosis is CCAM. Congenital cystic adematoid malformation. Say that three times fast! Here is a link to the Fetal Care Center that we will be working with: www.fetalcarecenter.org/conditions/ccam/default.htm

The link also has a very informative section on CCAM. The doctors don't seem too worried, just taking a lot of precautions. They worry when the ratio size of the tumor is 1.6, and Avery's is only 0.36 and not getting any bigger. The only reason they're sending us to the specialists is due to the fact the tumor has slightly deviated his heart. However, the good news is that the deviation has not caused any stress on his heart at all.

So, we're staying positive. The most wonderful part of his diagnosis is that we have gotten to see our little boy every week since 20 weeks via ultrasound! Last week I could see his cheeks were chubbier and cuter than ever. I love getting to see him weekly. Which makes me more excited to see him every day soon...and to hold my precious boy in my arms.

Will write more later after our day at Children's. Thank you everybody for your support!

Maybe No Longer Baby No Name??

Last post left me overwhelmed, excited, nervous, and overwhelmed. Did I mention overwhelmed?

Well, I am happy to report that I am finally kind of adjusting to my new role as soon-to-be-mommy. First of all, my baby boy has a closet and dresser full of clothes. Lots of hand me downs from my sister in law, and about 60+ items plus a gorgeous JJ Cole car seat cover for $100 from a friend. I love looking in his closet and seeing those teeny clothes that hang down like three inches. It's pretty uber cute.

Also, Danny and I registered. I am proud of our registry. We worked and researched hard and long. Didn't register for anything we didn't think we needed. With an enginerd (Danny) alongside me, I couldn't go wrong. He figured out all the dorky mechanics of stuff. I like his mathematical brain.

On the unexpected front, at our 20 week ultrasound (where baby was lovingly playing with his junk) they did find a tumor on his lung. The good news was he was happy, and big. He was at last measurement in the 83rd percentile. The not-so- good news is that we are unsure what the lung tumor means. I've had to go for weekly ultrasounds, and the mass has not grown as he grows. If it continues to stay the same size as he gets bigger, prognosis is pretty good. Unfortunately, we have a zillion tests we have to get done. At 24 weeks, (I am currently 23 weeks and 1 day) we are heading to Cinicinnati Children's Hospital and meeting with 8 specialists. I know I have an MRI, a meeting with a cardiologist and genetisist. Beyond that, not sure what the other 5 appointments are. Apparently, the odds are 1 in 30,000 of this happening and beyond our control. We're just happy that he seems pretty happy and content and kicks me often to remind me how happy he is in his little home.

So, we are just praying and hoping. And hoping and praying.

So the big news is we *think* we came up with a name. Avery Paul. We both like Avery (shocker) and Paul was my grandpa's name that I loved very much. We'd like to incorporate William in there somewhere for Danny's grandpa, however Avery William doesn't roll. And I don't want him to have fourteen names like Avery Paul William DeVivo...so that's why we're only 90% sure.

So...I think that's all for now about Avery, keep him in your prayers. If something bad is wrong, we will deal, so mostly I just pray for wisdom. Because even if he has a life-long illness, I just want to be wise and know how to be an advocate for my son. <3

Tootles!

So Monday is a BIG day...we find out...(insert drumroll here, please) the SEX of the baby!
Some days I felt like I would internally combust having to wait so long....as far as I'm concerned, waiting is cruel and unusual punishment! I mean, I guess if truth be told I could have found out sooner. I will be 20 weeks and 3 days when we go for the anatomical ultrasound, and I could have found out as early as 17 weeks.

So, part of me is singing with joy about finding out....
...and the other part of me is starting to panic.

When we find out boy or girl, it will make the whole "baby thing" more real. Like, it won't be just some alien swimming around in my uterus. It will be a PERSON. A person that has genitals and will come screaming into this world in just a few short months, needing fed and clothed. And here lies the problem....I'm CLUELESS.

I am not just clueless, I'm lost.

First of all, we can't agree on any names. It was always safe to say "Oh, we'll just wait till we find out what we're having!" Well guess what? That excuse won't last much longer. Sooner or later we will HAVE to agree on something. You know those baby books that have like 54684751521 names? Well, lo and behold we're the first couple in the universe that couldn't agree on a single name in that entire fat book. Actually, it was three fat books and still no names jumped out at us. The names that jumped out at Danny made my nose wrinkle in distaste. And the names that jumped out to me made him say "Are you freaking kidding me?"

Oh, but alas, those are the least of our problems.

So, my darling friends and mom want me to have a baby shower. Which means that we will have to register soon for items. People, I don't know the first thing about babies. I know, I know. Diapers...(but what kind? What if Jr. doesn't like Huggies and prefers Pampers?)....I wish there was only one option and I would happily register for that item. However...in the real world there are a million choices and I feel overwhelmed.

Anyway, I digress.

I know we will find a name, and I know we will figure everything out. It's just a foreign feeling for me to not feel completely prepared for something. I'm Queen Anal of Retentiveness, so this general denial and helplessness I'm experiencing is a new feeling for me.

I always try to be positive.

Here are the positive things: I have had an easy pregnancy (except carpal tunnel and a cold sore the size of Mt. Everest), my baby is healthy thus far, my husband is completely supportive and reads all the baby books and happily babbles off useless information that I don't really need to know, we have a roof over our heads, great health insurance, plenty of love and support from those around us, a cute pug dog that will be an amazing older sister, and in my belly is the ONE person in my life that is a part of me.

Let me go off on a tangent for a moment about that last point.

As many of you know, I am adopted. I love my mom and dad. I wouldn't have any of these blessings without them. I never felt adopted. I always felt like a natural part of our family. I had a typical relationship with my brothers, whom I also adore. I always felt I belonged.

Inside of an adopted person however, is a void. It's not good, it's not bad. It's just an emptiness looking around and knowing no one is YOU. When my baby is born, I'll be holding the only person I know that is part of me. I honestly feel like my baby will fill that void I've never been able to fill. And that is very, very special.

So enough of the sappiness.

Until next time....au revoir!

Will My Baby Turn into a Cheesesteak?

I ALWAYS tried to eat healthy before I got pregnant.

I gagged down so many tubs of spinach I think I solely kept the spinach company in business.

I ate whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean proteins...a pretty perfect diet, AND I tried to excercise at least 4 times a week.

I have heard pregnant women want the opposite of what they ate before they were pregnant.

Well....

It must be true. I ate a cheeseteak for lunch.

And a cheeseteak for dinner.

So, if my baby comes out with onions, provolone and mushrooms...don't be alarmed.

And excercise....what is THAT?! I haven't since I got knocked up.

I am an alien on a new planet

Entering into the world of pregnancy/children is a foreign land.

I've been not-pregnant for 28 years of my life, and married for 4 of those years. Our life happily consisted of hubby, me and our Pug, Lola. We knew we were "ready" and beginning to talk about "starting a family."

For the first 2 years I shuddered at the thought of having a child. I wasn't ready AT ALL and could not see giving up my life, money, time, sanity for a CHILD. Around 3 years of marriage the idea didn't turn me off completely. Then one day IT hit.

My clock was ticking. It was a bomb.

All of the sudden, a BABY was all I wanted. However, I was still practical (aka boring.)

We went into Baby mode. We discussed finances. We did a complete financial overhaul. I knew I wanted to be a SAHM working very few part time hours. I got healthy. I went off the pill. Finally, it was time to try. Or as baby websites all call it TTC (trying to conceive.)

TTC lasted approximately 10 minutes.

We didn't know it then, but we were one of the few lucky ones that got pregnant the first try. No, not the first month of trying. THE FIRST TRY. Danny has been coined "The One Hit Wonder."

So fast forward to today where I am 15 weeks and 3 days pregnant.

And still, pregancy and children are a foreign land.

One of my friends has a stack of parenting magazine five miles high said "read these if you get bored!" So , I did. The first article I come across is discussing strollers. Did you know there are approximately 87465132 different types of strollers?

And that's just a STROLLER!

But, I am taking it all in stride.

I may not know what the best stroller is. I may not know what I'm in for when I go into labor. I may not know if I'm having a boy or a girl. I may not know a thing about what it's like to get zero sleep or whether to breast feed or use formula.

But I do know I'm ready to be a mom. I am SO ready to meet my baby. Pregnancy has been a constant joy, a beautiful experience between my husband and me. And if I have enough love for my baby, who cares about a stroller?