Peek-a-boo and some Dancy-Dance Time

First of all, we have to have the most UNCOOPERATIVE child in utero E.V.E.R.  Signs to come??? Sigh.

We went back over the river today to get our follow-up from what we thought were last week's not-so-good 3D ultrasound pictures.   Who knew that last week's pictures would turn out WAYY more fabulously than today's pictures.  Baby G#2 did move, and is no longer transverse; unfortunately, she decided that head-down and looking at my spinal column while smooshing into some placental pillow was a way more convenient position.  To the sonographer's credit, she turned a 20-30 minute session into almost an hour trying to get this little bugger to budge.  We got her hand to move and that was about it.  We twisted, turned, contorted, folded in half, took pee breaks, but to no avail.  She felt so terrible that we left with a complimentary baby hat AND baby blanket as well as a compilation of all three visit's pictures AND videos.  And poor Ryan... he learned all about female anatomy today, and also that there is NOWAY this kid is a boy.  That small sliver of hope is gone.  Ain't happenin'.  The dream has died.

In any case, here is a set of last week's pictures in color, followed by today's "best shots"...Lots of shadowing.  If there is one noticeable feature it would be that this kid's rockin' some massive chunk-o-cheeks.

Massive cheeks. Oh, and a squished nose. (Apparently it's all smooshed in the placenta.)

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In other news, Cameran's personality is quite comical as of late.  She gives kisses on demand, waves at approprate times, and is quite the little ballerina.  Girl's got rhythm.  Usually when I try to take pictures or shoot video she shies away, but tonight we was pretty darn funny...

Cameran saying hi to baby beating the crap outta Mommy.



Cameran dancing, patting, and kissing.



Cameran patting beating, kissing, slobbing, dancing and jabbering.



Three randoms of Daddy singing, making funny faces, and receiving slobbery kisses from Cameran.







Disclaimer: Cameran's horrid outfit combination is a result of her being way too interested in her new Jessie pjs and me being too lazy to remove her pants.

Thank you to those of you who have "come out of hiding" (see previous post)...Still looking for lurkers to come forward and say hello.  Feel free to "Follow" our journey, which is also how I find a lot of the blogs I follow as well ;)

Anniversary, Father's Day, and a little in Between

Undeniable.

Baby G # 2 definitely has...

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It's 100% undeniable now.  Unfortunately for hubster my one smartass colleague says, and I quote, "It takes a real man to put a stem on it", so sorry Ryan, you are 0 for 2.  It's okay though, you can be the King of the Castle surrounded by your Queen and two royal Princesses.

And as for trying a third time, I am pretty sure Ry's ready to cut his losses, because, as he puts it, his luck isn't that great and he would wind up with three girls ;)

It's all good though, because this ultrasound was awesome.  My anxieties were squelched pretty early on as the technician talked her way through each shot and body part, explaining what she was looking for.  She took no less than three pictures of each vital part to ensure proper measurements, and took a buttload of cardio pictures so that we could avoid a fetal ECHO.  Ryan and I showed pictures of Cameran, and we talked a lot about her pregnancy and finding out about her T21 diagnosis after her birth. 

Baby G was on the go the entire time, which worked out well for most of the shots that were needed.  Apparently her favorite spot is my lower left pelvic region, which could explain a lot of my earlier back pain.  Thanks a lot kid.  In the end, the perinatologist came in and told us that she looks great, and does not have even one of the seven soft markers for BDs.  What a sigh of relief.  Although they could not give us ratio stats, our percentage is now <1% for Ds in Baby G #2.  I am not so far out there as to think something could not still be wrong; obviously Cameran sailed through ultrasounds with flying colors, but for now I can enjoy 20 more weeks of not carrying laundry down stairs flips, kicks, and hiccups.

Here are some highlights from the session:

She mooned us almost immediately...



She even showed off her potential at yoga and pilates...

So here's to Baby GIRL G.  We love you and are glad you are looking healthy.

The Verdict is In...

Where are we going in this cold, nasty wind and rain??

You mean I get to find out if Baby G is a boy or a girl?  Alright! I'm in!

Mommy and me posing for Daddy in the waiting room.

Sheesh Mommy, everyone keeps saying you've "popped" this week.  That or you ate WAYYYYY too much.

This little baby was one big wiggleworm, but not in a helpful way.  Feet crossed up top, in between the carrots is the answer...

Here I am.

?????

...Well, with approximately 80% accuracy that is...Hopefully Wednesday can confirm this and we can move on to the name game :)

Catching Up

Since the transplant there have been many topics I've wanted to blog about, but haven't gotten around to posting. I don't know if it is my procrastination or the fact that I want to have the idea solidified in my mind before keystrokes begin.

In any case, this is more of a stream of conscious catch-up of the first two weeks of April.

My mom's kidney is functioning well. Her recovery is slow, and she is still weaker than pre-surgery, but is continuing to recover.

Cameran is now a full-fledged "walker". Sure it looks a little sketchy, but I would say by the end of the first week of April she became consistently determined to walk. She has perfected crawling, in true Cameran fashion, waiting until she could do it proficiently before showing off. No army crawl for this girl. It's the real deal. When she stands and wants to turn it is hilarious because it is like she is doing the one-footed pivot until she completes a circle and gets turned to where she wants to go.

She even did some great walking with her Special Instructor earlier this week...outside...on grass...on an incline!!

Around the same time the walking began her first bottom front tooth began its emergence into the light. Two little ridges now poke through. Slow and steady. The 2 1/2 toothed 24 month old.

I need to post separately about going to Princesses on Ice. We went with some friends on April 2nd. Girlfriend LOVED the show, and even stayed awake until the last princess at 8:45!

                                                                    Driving to Hershey.

Did I mention she sat in her own seat, courtesy of my friend Heather and my knees holding her seat down since apparently 21 lbs isn't enough weight to do the trick and she folded up in the seat at first!
Last weekend was Ds PlayPals.  Many of our friends were off at CHOP for a Ds conference, but we had fun with two other little friends and even made a field of Easter bunnies during craft time!

ENT appointment yesterday was uneventful. Cameran was given ear drops to decrease the swelling in the ear that has been persistently bothering her.

                                                         Why does she look so grown up?
Hubby passed his Master's Competency Test! Graduation is set for May 21, and his parents are planning to fly in for the ceremony. I am so proud of him (even if I did have to slave away writing proof-reading his papers.)

On a whim last night I decided to call a local ultrasound center to get this baby's gender figured out. I keep thinking that although Wednesday is only five days away, it will be nice to know the gender prior to a Level II ultrasound appointment where they are going to be more concerned with looking for abnormalities than finding out the gender. I am more than a little scared for what Wednesday will bring being that it is really the only glimmer of our odds of knowing whether this baby is totally healthy or also has a little something extra. Either way, ultimately we are still blessed considering we are going to have not one, but two children after being told not a chance...So...here's to hoping for good health and a typical sibling for Cameran to emulate as she grows up. (And yes, there is a gender preference, but I am not even going there being that the first time around I said I just didn't want an ugly baby. Wish granted with an extra helping of genetic make-up ;)

She is pretty darn cute...

 Even when posing as a disgruntled librarian...

I will leave you with Cameran's favorite new face...

Firsts and the Future

You know how when you want your child to do something/say something on cue it never works out?? 

Case in point...I went to pick Cami up from daycare yesterday, and upon arrival her daycare room teacher J, who I love, said that she took 3 or 4 steps yesterday unassisted!!! I tried like crazy to get her to do it for Ryan and I at home but she just got her sassy grin, and would drop and crawl.


She is also eating all sorts of new foods.  Her two (and only) teeth (both top molars) are coming in handy for pot roast, unpureed veggies and fruits, bananas bitten from the peel, Goldfish crackers, and other crunchy items.  She will pretty much crawl after whoever is closest and currently eating.  Now we need to get to the self-feeding part.  Slow and steady, slow and steady...

Baby #2 is still kicking ;) I am 14 1/2 weeks. Thought I would be finished the happy-go-pukey stage, but that isnt the case at all. I actually got to work (7th grade) and ran like crazy to the bathroom and lost it during homeroom earlier this week. Not cool.

They are sending me to our maternal/fetal medicine unit this time for the 20 week ultrasound. We passed up all the testing once again. I was afraid they would give us a hard time because of Cameran and an apparent increase in odds, but oh well. We were never supposed to get pregnant without IVF in the first place, then Cami came along. After Cami, we figured it wouldn't happen again, but if it did then it was obviously God's plan, and so I (foolishly?) didnt go back on birth control. In any case, bam...September 9th is on its way.

I would be lying if I said I am not petrified. I obviously know that there is a chance this cherub could have Ds or some other issue, and I will be okay with that, but I want more than anything for Cameran to have a typical sibling that she can grow close to and have to model behaviors and to learn from as they both grow. I know that I can't expect this sibling, if she is "typical" to be Cameran's guardian later in life, but I hope and pray that they are close enough that it is a non-issue. I really try to live in the present and not dwell on future but this baby makes me think of ALOT of potential issues...sigh.  Everyone tells me that it will never happen twice, and there are quite a few other mamas who currently pregnant with their second child after having the first with Ds who seem to all be "good to go" right now.  I just can't imagine that all of us will come out of this being in that 99% of "everything's okay".  So I worry.  Not a lot, but off and on...So if you feel compelled, please pray for us. 

In other news, my madre's kidney transplant is still on for March 29th!  Pray no one gets sick between now and then and for wisdom and guidance for the surgeons that day.

:)  Happy Wednesday