Every since posting on here and announcing that we were having a few pregnancy concerns with Baby Blake, I have gotten a lot of questions.  Thank you for loving on and being concerned about our family.  I have hesitated about sharing what is happening on such a public forum and because I am aware that this all probably amounts to nothing.  But, the more I have thought about it, and the more I have been asked to share about what is going on, I figure it can’t hurt to have lots of prayer and to raise awareness about this abnormality.  So here is the story…(if you are one of the many people who have already heard, I am so sorry…you can exit now 🙂 )

When we went to the doctor for our gender reveal ultrasound, we were over the moon to find out that we were having a little boy, Baby Blake.  When the doctor came into the room and was reviewing the results of our ultrasound, she mentioned something called 2vc and an enlarged kidney.  She promptly scheduled me for a high-tech, Level 2 ultrasound, with a neonatalogist, so they could make sure everything else was okay and confirm their findings.

The Level 2 ultrasound confirmed everything they discovered in the first.  Basically, I have something called a Single Umbilical Artery.  Most umbilical cords have one vein and two arteries.  In about 1% of pregnancies, there are only two vessels – usually one vein and one artery (see picture below).

Sometimes, the absence of that extra artery can cause the baby not to grow as it should (because it isn’t receiving the nutrients it needs); therefore, they classified me as high risk, scheduled more regular ultrasounds and growth checks, and are watching him very carefully to make sure he is growing.

The enlarged kidney also isn’t a huge deal, but again, something to watch, and if it doesn’t resolve itself, they may need to do a surgery after he is born.  Enlarged kidneys are super common in boys and for Blake, his was enlarged 4.1 on a scale of 4 to 7 which under 4 being normal, so it was very, very, very minimal.

About 75% of pregnancies that have a SUA (single umbilical artery) are normal and carry through to birth with no problems.  However, in about 25%, a 2 vessel cord can be a sign of other genetic abnormalities.  Therefore, they wanted me to have a blood (DNA) test which they can use to tell if the baby has extra or missing chromosomes.  Unlike an amniocentesis, it doesn’t have any risk to the baby, and while it can’t tell us everything, it can tell us whether he has the most common chromosomal disorders.

We had this ultrasound done at 19 weeks and spent until just this past week (at 23 weeks) debating about whether to do the test. We knew the results wouldn’t affect the treatment, birth, outcome, or anything else.  Basically, it would just be knowledge.  We also knew that God is in control, and if this baby has down syndrome or something else, we would love this baby regardless and it wouldn’t affect anything.  So really we would just be having the test for peace of mind and knowledge so that we would be prepared for the outcome.  After lots of praying, debating, talking to the genetic counselor, etc., we decided to do the test.  We had it done last Monday but it takes 7-10 business days for the results.  Meaning, we don’t have them yet and are yet again waiting.

Where are our hearts in the midst of all this?  We are so thankful for this miracle baby and the way the Lord has protected him thus far.  We know that God is in control and if this baby has down syndrome or something else, not only will we love this baby regardless, but we know that God will (and has) equipped us to deal with it.  The Lord has really provided us with peace in the midst of a lot of uncertainty and we truly have been able to rest in him, being okay with not having all the answers or knowing everything.  If you know me and my past of worry and stressing, this is a HUGE testament to the Lord and how He has been working in my heart. I am thankful that the Lord is choosing to grow us through all of this.  I am even more thankful that God is with us in the midst of this.

I honestly feel like everything is going to be okay, but until we know that for sure, we wait.  Thank you for praying for us and joining us on this crazy adventure the Lord has us on!

Last weekend, I had the privilege of hosting a baby shower for a friend of mine (and co-worker) Kai.  She and her husband Justin are set to welcome their sweet little boy, Jairus, in November and we were so excited to shower them with love, congratulations, and gifts.  We had a co-ed shower mainly consisting of co-workers and not only was it fun, but I also realized that Ed hasn’t really been to a co-ed baby shower.

I was in charge of decorations and I loved getting to try out fun new ideas (like the burlap banner I have been dying to make).  I rely so much on Pinterest and the internet for craft ideas, so I was really pleased to make this wreath (below) that I thought up all on my own – and that it turned out way better than I was every expecting.

My friend, Angela, made these with napkins – aren’t they adorable?

In other news, I also made a wreath based on an idea I stole from my friend Amanda.  I was so excited to make something to celebrate college football season starting, and to both be able to pump our favorite teams. While we aren’t a house divided, we do both love our home teams, so we had to represent both!  I LOVE how it turned out!  What do you think?

As I mentioned before, we have been in a huge season of transition.  And it doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon.  Some of these we have known were coming and some have, well, just snuck up on us.  Here are just a few more that we have going on at the moment:

Kinsley began dance in August!  After the disaster that soccer was (I know it wasn’t that bad but I promised myself I wouldn’t sign her up for something again unless she asked to do it), I was hesitant to have her enrolled in dance even despite her asking numerous times.  Since our community center offers a class/program at a really reasonable rate (have you looked at how much dance studios charge nowadays? ridiculous, I tell ya), I decided to sign her up there just to get a taste to see if she liked it.  So far, she does.  Having one of her best friends in the class helps too, I am sure!

Next, Emerson, the little stubborn daredevil she is (I mean this in the nicest way), decided it was time to start climbing out the crib.  While we knew this transition would have to come before Baby Blake arrived, we had no idea it would be this soon.  When she climbed out once of twice, we decided to wait until she kept climbing out repeatedly to move her.  Well, that time came really, really soon – liked within a few days.  So, she is now sleeping in the bottom of their bunk bed while her sister is sleeping in the top.  The bed rail DOES NOT stop her from climbing out the bed, but she is slowly figuring out that this is her new sleeping place.  Now, to figure out how to get them to fall asleep quickly together and not take an hour to go to sleep.  Any suggestions?

Lastly, a big milestone happened in our house this week.  Kinsley started preschool.  We kept telling her she would start school after the big city, so when we got back from summer project, she didn’t understand what was taking so long.  Needless to say, it arrived and she has been so excited.

The first day, she pranced right into class, started telling her teacher about all the princesses on her lunchbox (including which ones’ movies she had seen and which she hadn’t), put her bag on the hook in her cubby, and acted like she had already been there every day for a year.  She never even looked back at me.

When I picked her up, she was dragging and acted tired, but pepped up in the car when she saw that I had picked up a few fun library books for her while she was at school (I kept hearing “These books are amazing” and “This is the bestest ever”), and then started telling me all the things they did in school.  She was especially excited about her library book they let her bring home from school (Cinderella, of course).  When I asked her what her favorite part of the day was – her answer was “lunch and playing outside”.  Yes, sweet child of mine, those were my answers too. 🙂

I know life is all about change and transitions – but can we slow down now?