It's a BOY!!!!!

I am thrilled to announce the birth of my third baby!!! Andrew was born Thursday 1/17 weighing 7 lbs. and 19 inches long. We are all home and doing fine. I am happy to report that there are NO signs of down's syndrome. This ordeal has really taught me a huge lesson. Andrew is absolutely perfect.....but I have to be honest, I would feel that way even if he did have down's.

The twins are going through an adjustment period. If it were up to them, they would be all over him 24/7!!! It was difficult being away from them for 5 days while I was in the hospital. I'm so happy to be home & very thankful that my husband is home this week & my mom will be here next week.

Well, that is it for now.....take care & thank you for all your positive thoughts & prayers. :)

39 Weeks 1 Day

Well, here I am at my scheduled c-section date. It is after mid-night on the east coast & my surgery is scheduled for 12 1/2 hours from now!!!! I don't think I will be getting much sleep tonight. I still have a few things I want to do before I go to bed. I am a nervous wreck.....but very excited at the same time! Well, I guess I'll post again once I have the baby. Please keep us in your thoughts & prayers! I won't be home until Monday if all goes as planned.

Take care & best wishes to all!

PS -- I can't wait for an update from Summer Girl!! Also, Leeah, when are you going to update us?!?

37.5 weeks

I can't believe I made it to full term. At this point with the twins, they were already about a week old! The pregnancy has been progressing with an estimated baby weight at my 36 week 2 day perinatal appointment at 6 pounds 13 ounces! The baby seems to be in the 73% but then again, who knows what will ultimately happen. I am now on heparin shots & I have a c-section scheduled for January 17th....if I can make it that long. For the past 2 days, I have had period type cramps on and off with some braxton hicks contractions. I never experienced a contraction with the twins, so I have no idea if these are real or fake!

I am finished with work, however being home with two 2 1/2 year olds is so much more demanding than being in my classroom! I seriously don't know what I am in for once this baby arrives. I still have very morbid thoughts & I am afraid to even think that I will actually have a baby in my arms in a few weeks.

I just wish i knew one way or the other if this baby has Down's Syndrome. I did buy a book called "Gifts", which chronicals the stories of women who have children with downs. It was a very touching book, but it made me realize that all the reassurances that I had from good ultrasounds, etc. were not an indication that my baby would be without downs. I was really shocked by how many women had no idea that they would give birth to a baby with downs. There were many who were in my situation with lousy screening results & then there were those who knew from an amnio that they would definitely have a child with downs. Like I said, I just wish I knew one way or the other!

The envelope is still sealed!! I have a feeling that it is a boy though.

Big hugs to Kether & Barb....I am so sorry that you both had to go through that again.

Well, that is it for now. Take care & Best wishes to all! :)

27.5 Weeks

Well, I guess it is time for an update. It is hard to believe that the last time I posted was in August & now it is almost November. I am shocked that I am still pregnant & everything so far seems to be OK. I had antoher level 2 u/s a few weeks ago & the baby was growing very nicely. He/She was estimated at 1 lb.11 oz at 25 weeks 5 days. Thank God, everything seems to be fine....there were no markers or problems identified on u/s. I am still a nervous wreck regarding downs & just can't wait to know one way or the other. I love this baby regardless of it's chromosome count, but it would be nice to be prepared ahead of time if there really is a problem. (As I write this, I am thinking I should really get some books on downs & read up on it so that I am prepared. What would you do?)

I still haven't caved in & opened the envelope, although it is tempting at times! We don't have any names picked out & boys names seem to be much more difficult for us to even discuss, so it would be nice to know if we even needed to worry about it! I feel like it is a boy...time should tell!

It has been very interesting being a "Work outside the home" mom. Luckily, the twins adjusted very nicely to daycare. The first 2 weeks were hellish, but now they know the routine & seem to enjoy it! My daughter is constantly singing songs that amaze me. She knows her alphabet, the days of the week, & tonight she was singing about the months of the year! I almost fell on the floor when she said all 12 months in the correct order! My son on the other hand isn't into the songs at all! He also could careless about using the potty, whereas his sister is totally toilet trained! It really is true that all kids are so different & develop at their own pace. I must admit that it is hard not to compare & wonder if she is just ahead of the game...or is he behind! I try so hard not to think like that!

I really miss them during the day, but I like having a piece of myself back. I love my job & am very happy teaching. It is also physically SO MUCH EASIER being at work all day taking care of third graders than it is being at home with two 2 year olds! The parents of my third graders were horrified that I started the year pregnant, but they seem to be Ok with it now. My principal has had a hard time dealing with it too.....oh well! I honestly don't know what I am going to do in September. I really don't want to send a baby to daycare & is it worth working to pay tuition for 3 kids in daycare? I guess I will have to seriously look at our finances & decide from there....but again, what are your thoughts?

Well, before I go, I want to congratulate Barb & Kether. Good luck to the both of you!

Level 2 U/S

We had our "big" u/s this past week & I am so happy to report that everything looks great. I was convinced there would be plenty of markers for downs syndrome. I am so glad that I was so wrong! Of course the doctor wouldn't let me be thrilled over this. He had to be such a bummer & tell me that 2/3's of ds babies will show up on ultrasound, but the other 1/3 look normal. Therefore, I am not in the clear yet. I declined the amnio & actually had to sign a waiver that I didn't want it. So all in all, I guess it was the best possible appointment we could have had given the circumstances.

We also decided not to find out the gender. We asked if it was possible to let us know at a later date if we changed our minds. The tech actually gave us an envelope with a picture inside telling us if it is a boy or a girl. I know if I open it I am going to be so mad at myself, so for now I haven't been tempted. I have a feeling it is a boy....but most of my family thinks it is a girl. For now, I will just wait & see! We haven't even discussed names, and I honestly haven't even thought of any. Any suggestions?

School starts next week & I am very nervous because I know I don't even know what I am in for! How do you handle working & then coming home to take care of kids? I was always the last one out of the building & one of the first ones there in the morning. That is NOT going to be the case now.....how do you do it?

Well, that it is for now....Goodnight! :)

I'm so glad you're still here!

(Just as a side note, I started this entry on Aug. 3rd....it is now Aug. 9th. I've added extra comments in parenthesis to the original post to make this post current.)


Thanks Summergirl for the shout out! I am surprised, yet very happy that you all stopped by! Life continues to be very hectic. I had a totally boring & normal ob visit the other day.....I loved it! The baby was still alive, kicking, & with a good heartbeat. I am still in denial that there is a life inside of me.....I am shocked every time I see it on the u/s! I finally told some friends & even my boss. Luckily, he took the news of my return from a 2 year maternity leave being pregnant again with a sense of humor. I am dreading all of the comments from my co-workers, and even more so from the parents. It should be an interesting fall! (All week I've been going to school for a few hours to try and get things organized & prepared for September. I am so exhausted from trying to do everything. I am really in trouble!!! :)

I've made lots of progress with the 2 year olds. They are finally out of my bed & we are working on toilet training. My daughter had a great day today with NO accidents!!! I'm not going to officially call her "potty trained", but I am so happy that she is even remotely close! (She actually had a great week. She only wears a diaper at night & has had 2 accidents in the past week!!!) I've been spending my days in the bathroom waiting for my son to pee. He's been making progress, as a week ago, he refused to even think about wearing underwear. The past few days, he has been going through 4 to 5 pairs of underwear a day.....but at least he is putting it on! I can see that this is going to take a VERY long time for him. (He has been wearing a combination of diapers & underwear. When he wants to do it, he does it great....but there is no "forcing" him!)

Well, that is about it. Hearing about Leah with 4 under 3 makes me feel much be about 3 under 3!!!! :)

Still Here.....always on a Rollercoaster!

Yes, I am still alive....if anyone still checks in here. The "babies" are now 2 & my latest saga is that I am almost 13 weeks PREGNANT!!!!! We are still pretty shocked as this was a TOTAL SURPRISE!

It has not been an easy pregnancy so far. We had 2 scares of miscarriage w/ a trip to the ER. I don't know what I was thinking, but we did the 1st trimester screening & I came back "High Risk" for Down Syndrome. I have a 1/211 chance of a baby with ds. (My NT scan was fine, it was the bloodwork.) I refused the cvs & amnio because of the miscarriage risk.....and now I need to wait until my level II ultrasound at the end of August. I hope and pray that this baby is healthy & chromonally perfect.....but of course I would love any baby. I obviously won't know for sure until January when the baby is (hopefully) born. I still have doubts that my body will keep this little one safe....but I am trying to stay positive.

Well, that is it for now. I just figured I would give an update if anyone was still around...and if anyone has advice on taking care of 3 kids under 2.5 years old, I'd love to hear it!!!!! :)