38 Weeks....almost there!

38 weeks....wow! Well Chad and I thought she would be here by now, but we are so happy that she made it to full-term!! Although it seems as though she may want to stay where she is!  I went in to my obgyn for my 37w5d check and he stated that I wasn't dilated...nothing. The drs. told us that they will not let me go past my due date because I am high-risk. They said if I don't go into labor before my due date, they would have to induce me. Both drs. have stated that if I am not dilated by my due date that a c-section would be the next step. When someone is not dilated and is high-risk there can be complications/risks involved with trying to induce them when there body is not ready. I go into my obgyn tomorrow and we are hoping that I am dilated!! We really are hoping that I will not have to have a c-section.

          Some belly shots :-)           

 

We have been trying to prepare the dogs for Layla's arrival. I think they have a feeling that something is going to change. They say dogs can sense it. They won't leave me alone!!!! When Layla is born, Chad is going to bring home one of her blankets that she has been wrapped in from the hospital before we bring her home, so they can smell it.

Sam is so Sweet!

I love this picture of Jackson! We can't believe he is over 8 years already!! He was our first baby;-)

GIFTS

I can't believe how spoiled she is and she hasn't even arrived yet! Some of Chad's coworkers and staff surprised him on his birthday with a baby shower. They got Layla SO many cute things. It was so nice of them! We have also been receiving gifts from attorney's that Chad works with....especially women attorney's! 

I obviously couldn't take pictures of every gift but here are a few:

This is one of the most creative gifts...Chad loves it and I can just see him reading the book to Layla and tickling her:

 It comes with a book and tickling gloves :-)

 I just love this onesie:

Front:

 Back:

So Cute!

I love this dress from our friends Chris and Maryam:

 

We just wanted to thank everyone for the wonderful gifts, it was so very thoughtful of all of you.

We also wanted to thank Grammy and Grandpop Noel for the many special packages that they send to Layla......Love you both!!

36 weeks 6 days

I can't believe she is going to bless us with her arrival soon :-) We couldn't be more excited. Since my last post I've had several ultrasounds. Last week at my 35week ultrasound I could see her yawn, it was amazing. The tech. got a picture of it:

This past Monday (36w1d) they measured Layla and she is approximately 6lb 8oz, which puts her at the 60th percentile. The Dr. said everything looks good and she has been practicing her breathing.  I figured she was since she has hiccups everyday! She has them right now!!!  

At my 36w5d appointment my blood pressure was excellent and the dr. says my weight gain has been right on track. She is in the head down position, which is awesome, since we thought she may be breech because of the room issue. She is ready...we just have to wait till my body is.  My belly is still small enough for me to tie my own shoes and even bend over and touch my toes. I can't complain about that!

Last week we put up some shelves in Layla's room:

Layla's Nursery

Well...we are pretty much done with the nursery. The only thing left is to decorate the walls. We plan on putting up pictures and some shelving. Here are some pictures:

Sam & Jackson in Layla's Room!

Chad and I this past weekend put up Layla's name on the wall in her nursery.

We ordered it from the same place that we got the quote for the wall. We put it on the wall just as you walk into her room.

33 weeks and counting....

Time is flying by so fast. I can't believe she will bless us with her presence next month. We are praying that she doesn't want to arrive to early.

Chad and I had a very quiet Christmas...we definitely missed being with family but made the best of it. Layla received a few presents for Christmas. Her Aunt Joanne, Uncle John, and cousins Matthew and Madison got her a book, super cute shoes, and some hanging toys. Also her Grammy and Grandpop Noel got her a gift card for babies r us. It was so nice of them and we are so happy to have such a thoughtful family:-)

I am now going in twice a week to the drs. Monday's the specialist and Thursday's my regular obgyn. On Monday's I will have fetal monitoring done and an ultrasound. On Thursday's just fetal monitoring and a visit from my dr.

At my 32 week ultrasound they measured Lalya and she now weighs 4 pounds 6 ounces, 60 percentile!! The ultrasound pictures didn't come out good. She wasn't cooperating, her face was facing towards my back and she didn't want to move so we could take a peak!

At my 33 week ultrasound they just measured her breathing, movement, and blood flow from the umbilical cord. We did get some facial profile shots:-)

33 weeks 1 day

Her little face, I put it on the side so it would be easier to view. She has her hand in a fist right under her face:-)

Side profile:

3 lbs :-)

So I will be 30 weeks pregnant this Sunday. How exciting!!!

I went in for an ultrasound on Monday. Layla weighs in at 3 lbs!! She is at the 52nd percentile. Right in the middle. I would post some of the pictures but the tech. was not as good as some of the other ones and the images that she gave me didn't turn out very good. There will be many more to come. I will start going in for weekly ultrasounds every week starting at my 32nd week of pregnancy. I will also see my regular ob weekly. So 2 drs. apts. every week till I have little Layla.

I had a appointment with my regular ob today. I lost 2 lbs....I don't know how that happened! Everything looks good, my blood pressure has been really good! I have been experiencing a lot of pressure when I do to much...exercising/housework etc. So the Dr. ordered me to take it easy from now on. He feels I am doing to much and is concerned with preterm labor. So I will be taking it easy.

We are almost done with the nursery, I will post pictures when it is all done. This past weekend Chad and I put a quote up on the wall in Layla's nursery. I absolutely love it and I think it fits perfectly, since she is our little miracle.

I thought I would post some tummy pictures!

4 Months

7 Months

7 Months!!!!

Well it has been a long time since my last post. A lot has been going on.... two ultrasounds, we started setting up the nursery, and a visit to WI.

I had two ultrasounds since my last post, one at 20 weeks 3 days and the other at 25 weeks. I am now 27 weeks 5 days.... just about 28 weeks. I can't believe I am in my third trimester. How time flies by. At my last ultrasound she weighed 1lb 13oz, she is in the 58th percentile. We are so happy that she is growing right on track.

The ultrasounds turned out pretty dark but here are a few:

20w 3d

She was 13oz at this ultrasound!!

20w 3d

25 weeks...So cool to see her facial profile!! I think she has my nose:)

25 weeks

Nursery!!!

My parents visited in October and so we decided to start getting the nursery ready. Chad had painted the room about a week before they arrived. Our color scheme....pink, dark brown, white. We are are so appreciative to my parents for helping set up the crib and changing table. We just got the glider and ottoman. It is SO comfortable, Chad loves to sit in it:)

Chad and my Dad had just gone golfing that morning.

Thanksgiving in WI:)

We just got back from visiting WI for Thanksgiving. It was so nice to see family and friends. We also have decided on a name for our baby girl: Layla Grace Prelog. I have loved the name Layla for so many years!! And Grace is my Mom's name.

We wanted to go back for Christmas but the Dr. won't clear me to go. So it will be Christmas in Florida this year for the Prelog's!! It will sure be the warmest Christmas we will every have had:)

When we were in WI I had two showers for Baby Layla!!! My Mom had a shower for me and so did Chad's Mom. It was so nice of them and we are so thankful for all there hard work. Thank you everyone for the wonderful gifts for Layla!! They are much appreciated! Needless to say we couldn't see out the back of our SUV on the way home :)

Here are just a few pictures from the shower and our visit with Layla's future cousins:

Cake.....Yum!!!

Opening presents...our Neice Amber was my little helper!

Our Neice Amber and I

My Mom and I

Amber reading to Great-Grammy! She is reading Where The Wild Things Are...Chad loves that book:)

Amber loves her Uncle Chad!!!

Me and our nephew Joshua

Our nephew Nicholas:

We were so happy to be able to see him play in a soccer tournament while on our visit!!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!

We went in for my ultrasound with the specialist and found out we are having a GIRL!!! We are both so very excited. We would have been happy with either a boy or a girl. We can't wait to start getting the nursery ready!!

I am 16 weeks 2 days today. I will be going in every 4 weeks to the high-risk specialist for ultrasounds and to monitor the growth. I will still be going to my regular obgyn for checkups, but all the ultrasounds will be at the specialist. The concern is my blood pressure and my small septum. I have already had to do a 24 hr urine, that was fun! We are just staying positive and praying for a strong healthy baby girl!!

Right now she is just where she should be for 16 weeks. The ultrasound was really cool, we got to view the ultrasound on a 32 inch flat screen TV. We saw her kidneys, spine, bones and got to watch her heart valves pump her blood, it was amazing!

Here are some of the ultrasound pictures:

My favorite one, her little handprint!!!

Second Ultrasound!!

A lot has happened since the last time I wrote. I went in for my last appointment/ultrasound with Dr. D., we were sad but also so very happy that he helped us to get where we are today.

He has always encouraged us to never give up hope.

I just adore him and will miss seeing him.

I had my second ultrasound, which put me at 8 weeks 3 days. My due date is Feb. 28th, 2010. This time we got to hear the heartbeat. I was absolutely amazing. The picture is a little blurry.

I also had my first appointment with my regular obgyn. She is sending me to a perinatologist, which is a specialist that handles only high-risk pregnancies. I am considered high-risk because of the small septum that is left in my uterus and also my high blood pressure. The baby will not have as much room to grow as a normal shaped uterus, so they have to monitor me more closely. The possibility that I will have a c-section is pretty high. So I will be seeing my regular ob and a perinatologist. At that appointment it will be a consult along with an ultrasound. It is in september so I will post the pictures once we have the ultrasound.

Right now I am 11 weeks 4 days. I can't believe that I am almost done with my first trimester. I have definitely felt the effects of being pregnant. I am nausea all day, have heartburn, and I am so tired. I am hoping that it will get better when I get to my second trimester.

But in the end I will never complain about the way I feel and the difficulties that I may experience with this pregnancy because having a child will erase all those feeling. This baby is our little miracle.

First Ultrasound!

Our first ultrasound with Dr. D. was this past Wednesday. It was SO exciting. Dr. D was so happy for us. Chad and I were able to see the flicker of a heartbeat. I can't even describe how amazing it was. Dr. D. told us that you never give up hope.

We have been waiting for this day for so long it was quite overwhelming. We thank God each day for this beautiful miracle.

My next ultrasound is in 2 weeks, it will be the last time I will have to see my Reproductive Endocrinologist, I will then "graduate" to my regular obgyn. We are going to miss Dr. D., he has been such a huge part of our lives for so many months.

BFP!!!

Well it is official, I got a Big Fat Positive!!!!!

A little over a week ago we found out. I went in for blood work that confirmed it!!! We told our family and a few friends that have been there for us through this struggle. We plan on telling everyone else once I get to the second trimester. Since I am a high risk pregnancy we feel more comfortable waiting to tell everyone.

It sure does not seem real yet. We are SO very blessed and are SO excited --- Chad is still a little cautious because of everything we have been through.

I have my first ultrasound on July 8th (my nephew Matthew's 16th birthday!!!) which is a good sign! We can't wait!

Long time No write!

I again have not written in a long time. The last few months have been extremely hard and I just didn't feel like writing.

The surgery was almost a complete success. I found out after a few ultrasounds that I have a very small septum left from the surgery. I was concerned, but my Dr. does not seem to be concerned and has assured me that he would preform another surgery if it was necessary. So my worries have gone away regarding the shape of my uterus.

Since I last wrote I have been seeing much more of Dr. D. He started me on clomid and after several failed attempts moved on to a new infertility drug called Femera. Femera was originally used for breast cancer patients and now it is also used for infertility. Dr. D. also mentioned to Chad and I that we should start "thinking" about IVF. Which caught me off guard and brought me to tears. I just thought we where not there yet with our treatments and never thought we would have to even think about it. We have to see how my body will react to the new drug........

Through all of this Chad and I have stayed positive and have turned to God. It has definitely been a hard year for us and through it all we have become stronger as a couple. I don't know what I would do without Chad in my life, he is my rock!!

Success!!

I haven't written in so long. Well the surgery went well--it was a success!! I went into the hospital around 9am and left at 6pm. The nurses at the hospital took such good care of me. My Mom flew down and stayed for a few days after my surgery. It was so nice to have her here.

I had a catheter left in my uterus for a few days. That was so uncomfortable and such a nuisance (it was all worth it ). Poor Chad he had a hard time with it. The CO2 that they pump in you for the surgery lingered in me for about a week, which causes shoulder and chest pain. I could actually smell it releasing from my body. It was so weird.

I went in for my post-op and to take out the catheter on the Friday following my surgery. Dr. D took the catheter out and it was pain free!! He showed me some photos from the surgery, it was crazy. Dr. D said that he removed 80-90% of the septum, which he was happy with. He felt that should be enough to have a successful pregnancy. He also removed a cyst and some endometriosis (which I had a feeling I may have). Women with a mullerian anomaly have a higher chance of having endometriosis than women with a normal shaped uterus. That scared me, since endometriosis is a cause of infertility. I have to talk to him more about it at my next appointment. But all in all I am happy that everything went well.

I was put on estrogen for 30 days to build up the lining of my uterus. Once I start my cycle I will have to call and make an appointment for another ultrasound. I am getting to be a "Pro" at ultrasounds and I am not even pregnant. Dr. D is not sure if he is going to have me do another HSG (I am praying I won't have to). We will just have to see at the ultrasound what he thinks and our next step. I can't wait till that appointment!!!

Pre-op Appointment

Today was the pre-op appointment. It went really well. We saw Dr. D first and he did another ultrasound to make sure everything looked good. After the surgery Dr. D will leave a balloon catheter in my uterus (in order to keep the space open) for about 5 days. I hear it can be quite uncomfortable but all this is so well worth it. I will also be put on estrogen for a month to help the lining of my uterus heal faster. I feel So bad for Chad!!! I signed some consent forms and he went over the possibility that he may (1out of 5 chance) have to do another surgery if this one is not successful. But we are being positive!!

After Dr. Ds appointment I was sent to meet with the case nurse which was so incredibly sweet. She went over everything about the surgery. I had lab work done and an EKG because of my high blood pressure.

It is finally going to happen!!!

Surgery Here We Come

I finally have scheduled my surgery to resect my septum via laparoscopy/hysteroscopy. The surgery is scheduled for next Tuesday, March 1oth. The excitement is overwhelming. The day is finally going to be here soon. Since March 10th is the birthday of a very close friend of mine, I am sure that I will never forget that date:)

I have a pre-op appointment tomorrow with Dr. D and a case nurse from the hospital. Chad is coming with, which it comforting that he will be there.