So in Ryan’s last “update” post, he mentioned that the move combined with the pregnancy had led me to catch “some kind of bug.”  Well it turns out that a bug actually caught me, and gave me West Nile Virus!  I started feeling very tired the Saturday after we arrived, and that night began what my mom calls my “Rip Van Winkle Days.”  I slept about 22 hours a day for 5 days straight.  I was in pretty extreme joint and muscle pain, and was running a fever of about 101 degrees for three or four days.  In the process, I lost 10lbs. and became extremely dehydrated.  I had also begun to lose muscle strength and motor function (writing, etc. was increasingly difficult).

It was actually my OB who ordered the blood tests (for Mono, Lyme Disease, and WNV), and we’re grateful she did!  While there is no cure (all I could do was sleep and take Tylenol for the pain), my symptoms slowly started to subside.  Each day, we were noticing improvements in my ability to stay awake longer, my appetite, and my energy level.  It took about three weeks for me to feel mostly back to normal… well, as normal as you can feel at 30-something weeks pregnant!

Turns out, I was the first reported human case in the entire state of Illinois… and the news was everywhere!  We’ve even been contacted by the CDC to take part in a study they’re doing on the effects of WNV and pregnancy.  So far, it appears that the baby has escaped any harm.  In fact, I may actually be able to transmit some healthy antibodies to him while nursing that will help him fend off the virus if he gets exposed to it later in life!

One of the first tests they did on the baby was a very in-depth ultrasound.  The u/s revealed a very normal, healthy baby… but a very BIG baby!  According to the doctor’s measurements, he was already weighing 7lbs, 4oz… and we still had five weeks till our due date!  We’re going back again this Thursday to re-check his measurements (the margin of error can be quite large), and hopefully we’ll be able to nail down a better idea of when he’ll make his appearance.  In the meantime, he’s quite a gymnast, and enjoys hanging out in Mommy’s ribcage.

Anyway… we’ve been sloooooowly unpacking since my parents left, and are almost finished.  There’s still a lot to do, but it’s nothing insurmountable.  We’ll post some pictures of the new place as soon as we can figure out how to get them off the camera (we lost the cord… doh!).

Ryan is still able to work from home so far, although he’ll spend today and tomorrow in the office.  Last week, he stayed in Chicago all week with his International team.  They had a successful meeting, enjoyed lots of great food and conversation, and even got to go to a Cubs game.  He’s looking forward to getting registered for classes at the end of this week (as he’s already written about).

We’ll continue to update as life goes on… feel free to drop us a line!

BOY!!!

Doc says he measures perfectly normal, and he has all his parts. We were excited and relieved to find out that A) he’s a he, and B) he’s very healthy. It was truly amazing to watch his little face come into view on the ultrasound screen (just the regular 2D kind), and the doctor did a great job of explaining what we were looking at. He’s moving around a lot, and the intensity and amount are increasing with every passing day. I’m more excited than ever to meet our SON in person and get to know this little miracle.

Thanks for your continue prayers!

On Saturday, Ryan and I walked in the March of Dimes’ March for Babies along w/ 11 other Stroller Strides Modesto teammates.  The weather was beautiful (not nearly as hot as last year!), and everyone was in really good spirits.  As a team, we managed to raise over $2000.  I was able to contribute $550, thanks to many generous donations from family and friends.  Thanks so much to those of you who participated financially!  The actual walking part was much more difficult than I imagined it would be as a pregnant lady.  My mother and I typically keep a very quick walking pace (although hers is even quicker than mine) because we’ve learned to keep up with taller people our whole lives.  But I couldn’t keep up with her, and eventually had to stop and take a break for a few minutes.  Luckily I had packed some Goldfish crackers for a snack, and there were booths with healthy nibbles like orange slices along the way that helped keep my energy up.  With a MUCH slower pace, we finished the walk and celebrated with hotdogs and chili.  We also earned third place in the t-shirt contest with our slogan “Team Stroller Strides Modesto: Striding Toward a Cure in 2008.”

In other news, tomorrow marks 20 weeks for this pregnancy… the half-way point!   I have to say that once I passed the morning sickness stage, I’ve been relatively lucky.  Other than being very tired and learning (the hard way) that I need to slow down and take life a little easier, I haven’t suffered from the majority of common pregnancy complaints (heartburn, etc.)… yet, anyway!  From this point on, however, life gets reeeeeeeaaalllly interesting – and BUSY!  Our next appointment is scheduled for two weeks from tomorrow (May 13th) where we’re hoping Baby will cooperate enough to let us know if he’s a he, or she’s a she.  I’ve already been feeling little movements, and it’s a pretty fun reminder that there’s actually someone hanging out in there!  Ryan has one more international trip before our doctor’s appointment, and after the appointment, we get to spend a week in Cabo San Lucas… our “last big hurrah” before Baby.  June is equally crazy with three baby showers, a billion birthdays to celebrate, and the wedding of Ryan’s sister.  Then, shortly after that, we pack up the moving truck and head east.  In my “free time” I”ll be sorting through everything we own to purge as much as we possibly can before the move.  Then it all needs to be packed.  Should be an interesting process, but it’ll be rewarding in the end to have cleaned everything out beforehand… no sense in moving junk we don’t want!

Garage sale, here we come!

So the past couple of weeks haven’t been without issue… Aside from morning/noon/night sickness, I’ve been back in to see the doc a couple of times with some scary moments. During one of these appointments, an ovarian cyst was discovered. They say they’re very normal during pregnancy and often go away on their own… just another thing to watch for. Everything else turned out to be fine, but my sanity was a little worse for wear. Then last week I honestly thought I was having a heart attack because my chest hurt badly, and the pain was radiating to my left shoulder. A quick doctor’s visit revealed that I had simply bruised my ribs. I’m not sure how one can bruise one’s ribs by laying on the couch, but I certainly did!

On a lighter note, we had a scheduled sonogram today, and the doctor admitted to giving us “preferential treatment” because we’d already been through so much. The sonogram revealed a healthy and active baby with a “very normal” heartbeat… WHEW!!! It was such an unexpected treat to see “his” little legs kicking! Every once in a while, “he’d” buck back and forth as if to say “leave me alone… this is MY space!” (I say “him” because I can’t stand the though of having an “it”, so until we learn the true identity of our little one, we’ll stick with that.)

Anyway, I’m feeling more and more confident each day that this little one is really gonna stick around. While I’m still a little bit guarded, I’m excited to see what the future holds. We’ll go back again in six weeks (assuming all goes well in the meantime) and by then they’ll be able to start the normal tests for abnormalities, etc. As usual, we are so grateful for those of you who are continuously lifting us up in prayer… it is so valuable and greatly appreciated. Please keep those prayer coming!

Here’s one of the printouts the doctor gave us from today’s ultrasound… it’s pretty fuzzy because it’s a close-up, but “his” head is on the left, nose-up. Again, I say YAY!!!

Okay, so in the movie it was “we have a problem.” The only problem we have this time is that we are now into excellent uncharted territory!

Friday, January 25th, we had our first sonogram appointment for this fourth pregnancy. As you are all well aware, over the past 3 years we have had three very disappointing appointments – each of them leading to long waits and emotional trials.

This time it was quite different! As Dr. Tow started the procedure, we quickly saw the “fetal pole”, then a fluttering little 6 and a half week hearbeat! We were able to walk away with a picture of our baby. In just three weeks we will go back for another appointment as the doc wants to keep a close eye on things.
Please keep us in your prayers! As we learn more, we will keep you all up to date.

For those who are waiting to see Baby Barr’s first photo, sorry it took me so long to get them uploaded… The nausea is beginning to mercifully subside enough that I can sit up long enough to get some work done. They didn’t scan in very clearly, and I know it looks like a turtle… but it’s OUR turtle! The second one includes a representation of Baby’s heartbeat.

So I had my Intake appointment with the nurse on Thursday… it’s the one where they review all your medical history (again!). They ordered the normal blood panels and other tests that all pregnant ladies get, plus a quantitative hcg test. In the past, this means I’ve had to take one blood test, and then go back two days later to take another one so they can compare the results to make sure my hcg’s are rising properly. This time, however, she only ordered one. They said that based on my history w/ molar pregnancies, they should be able to tell if we’ve got another one by the first test. Then, if there’s a problem, they can order the second one to double-check.

Five and a half vials of blood later, my test came back within the normal range… So we’re off to a good start so far. Please keep those prayers comin’!

So… I did. This time it worked, and it turned out that I hadn’t been hallucinating with the first one. I’m pregnant!

If you’re reading this, you most likely already know our tragic pregnancy history… so we’d appreciate any prayers you’re willing to make for a safe, healthy pregnancy and a perfectly healthy baby in September.