week 18

We had a GREAT weekend! It was so good to see Lauren and Matt and Caroline. An added bonus was seeing my mom and sister for a little bit too. After prying Seth off of the tractor and planting soybeans, we headed off to Memphis to celebrate Lauren's birthday (a tradition 11 or so years in the making). It was strange for our conversation topics to be babies and families...big change from the years past.

Seth and I have basically made it to the halfway point of our pregnancy! We are ready for this boy to get here. I am feeling the aches of motherhood already... despite the normal backaches, belly aches and all-over aches, I already worry about this child every day. After our trisomy 18 scare, we critique every "feeling" I get. Seth has grounded me from google. There is way too much info online for pregnant women to stumble upon and freak themselves out. During my triple screen research I found a lot of information on the negative but not a lot on the positive; so here is our story in case others find themselves in a similar situation.

I went in for a routine OB appointment with my doctor and he recommended taking the triple screen test. I did not know a lot about it so I went on his advice and let them draw the blood and test it. He said that it would more than likely provide me with a peace of mind that our child is healthy.  The following Monday (Easter Monday) he called my cell phone (not the nurse but the dr) and I knew it was not good. I went in to talk to him and he said my results came in and everything looked good except the screening for trisomy 18. This is a more severe disorder than trisomy 21/down syndrome. Oftentimes the baby will not survive in the womb or will die shortly after birth. Seth and I were devastated, despite the doctor telling us there was only 1 in 60 chance of our baby having this disorder. Normal chances for this were 1 in 10000 or something exponential like that. Immediately, my dr arranged for me to see a specialist at UAB. By Wednesday we were meeting with the genetic counselor hearing all about the potential outcomes of our level II ultrasound and amnio. Before we new it, we were looking about live images of our baby on a big screen. It was incredible: his little hands waving, his foot tapping... I was in tears- NO SIGNS OF TRISOMY 18! We were so blessed. We had sent out the prayer warriors to ask for God's help and God heard us! We found out we had been blessed with a baby boy and he appeared to be 100% healthy! No need for an amnio. Our prayers were answered.

After the good news Sarah and I celebrated by taking Lane for a girls day out to Dogwood Festival in Aliceville.  We enjoyed the sunshine and warm weather while Lane enjoyed super slide and the bouncer...

Our Neck of the Woods... the lost post from November

[I found this post in the drafts...it mysteriously never made its way to being published...]

As we have been preparing our video for the ASA's Young Leader conference, I have a camera glued to my hand. So for the past 3 weeks, I have been tagging along with Seth as he works on the farm. I've been out every day after work and each weekend. I get lost in daily routine and forget how gorgeous this place is.

California was a blast! We arrived around lunchtime on Sunday.  I immediately fell in love with the palm trees that lined the road. At night, they were even lit up with little twinkle lights. They were absolutely enchanting!

Monday, we ate breakfast and headed directly to Disneyland... I was in love. I've already begun planning our trip to Disney World! I rode the rides that permitted pregnant women to ride and a few that I had to sneak past the operators. Don't worry...they were very gentle... except for the Indiana Jones ride. I believe it was Chad (Kentucky) who said something to the effect of, " Aw, this ride is nothing. It's just like the Pirates of the Carribean ride that we just went on." So I thought alright, that was like watching a theatrical show from boat... I wonder why it says no pregnant women or health risks... I soon found out. I hid my bulging belly from each Disney worker we passed until I finally made it through the line and climbed into the driver's seat of the pretend Indiana Jones car. How bad can it be? I thought. There are small children on this thing. The next thing I knew I was taking the carride from Hades. Everyone was screaming, including me! It probably wouldn't have been that bad, but all I could think about was Baby M floating around with both arms up screaming, "Whooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaa!" We both survived and moved on to a calmer ride... It's a small world.

Tuesday, we took a tour of L.A. It was an 8 hour tour and we saw EVERYTHING (including Hilary Duff!!!)

We even saw Andrea Bocelli (the opra guy) getting his star on Hollywood Blvd!

After LA, we went to Santa Monica Pier. It was windy and very chilly. I was also disappointed with the beach . I guess I am used to the white sandy beaches of Florida.

The highlight of Santa Monica was when I found the Zoltar machine from Big with Tom Hanks! I paid the dollar and got my fortune. It didn't have the same effect on me as it did on Tom Hanks in the movie, which is probably a good thing. However, now that I think of it,  I am getting bigger by the day so maybe it did work.

See what I mean?!?!? Here is a picture of us after the ASA banquet. You should see the professional picture that was taken of us when we walked across the stage to accept the award in front of 1000 people. We got it in the mail yesterday. I am in desperate need of a trainer, or at least a maternity yoga class. The crazy part is, I haven't gained but about 6 lbs... I just look like I've gained 40! Pure insanity.

I go back to the Dr on Monday. Hopefully they will schedule my ultrasound. I am ready to find out if Baby M is a boy or girl! Seth is hoping for a boy (of course). I am just hoping that they don't say, "Oh my, there are two babies in there!" I may have to be hospitalized from shock if that is the case. However, as long as he/she or they are healthy, it doens't matter to me.

California dreaming...

Life is good! Seth and I landed in Anaheim California this morning! We spent the day seeing the sights and enjoying the beautiful weather. Tomorrow it is Disney Land! Unfortunately, no rollercoasters for me but I'm sure I'll be able to enjoy the good food. I was hoping to upload some pictures but I can't figure out how to do it from my iPhone... If you have any tips, lemme know!

A Couple Months, LOTS of Changes!

Today, I am home sick from school so I can finally update our blog... I'm not even sure where to begin.

We celebrated Christmas in Huntsville with my mom, sister and Brian. It was great. We needed the R&R that only moms can give. We came back and hosted a New Year's party... We expected about 10 people and ended up with about 35... yikes! It was fun even though Seth's "grand finale" fireworks did not go off. He was not very pleased but several beers later, all was forgotten.

January was an exciting month... Seth and I found out that we were going to be parents! No, not of another puppy... but of a baby! We are thrilled. We've listen to the hearthbeat and seen the sweet little peanut's image and we couldn't be more excited. It is still early, however, and we continue to pray for the baby's well-being. Next appointment is the last week in February... updates will follow.

February has been jam-packed with events for us. During the first week of the month, Seth was asked to serve as a soybean expert and speak to a panel of cotton farmers in Autauga County (Montgomery, AL). A couple days later, he traveled to Birmingham and was selected to serve on the Wheat and Feed Grain Board for AL Farmer's Assoc. On February 6, we proudly attended and assissted in the Christening of our Godson, Luke Huerkamp! He was an angel, as always. Afterwards there was a beautiful reception.

This past weekend, we traveled to Huntsville for Mike's (seth's uncle/our neighbor) inauguration as President of the Alabama Cattlemen's Association. It was a lot of fun...most of the Dee's came in town, dinner at Ruth's Chris, a wknd stay at Embassy Suite's, Cowboy's Ball, and the best part: a mini shopping spree with my mom!!!

Now, I am home in bed with a sore throat and stuff nose. I guess there's been too much excitement! Back to work tomorrow though... In 2 weeks we will be in sunny/warm Anaheim California!

There's a blizzard out there... literally

This past week, Seth and I had the honor of representing the state of Alabama in the ASA's Young Leader Program. We met so many fabulous people and gained great deals of information about ourselves and farming. The program took place in Johnston, Iowa (right outside of Des Moines). At first I was disappointed because the weather had predicted no snow. This forcast changed, however, at some point along the way. While we were there, we encountered a blizzard. Snow fell by the foot ( over 14 inches in some areas). The temperature was cold and the wind chill was absolutely bone chilling.

Seth & I couldn't believe how much fast it was falling... One person said that an inch per hour was falling.

The airport was all but shut down. Nearly every flight was cancelled... but not ours!

It was a very uneasy feeling to feel the plane slide about on the runway from all of the snow under the tires.

Lost and Found

I found the misplaced camera, finally.