Another Hurdle Crossed

As many hurdles as Riley keeps crossing we think she just might grow up to be a track star. Something like the 400 meter hurdles maybe?

The good news is she's crossed another hurdle. Her heart is normal! Did you get that? NORMAL!!!!

The Cardiologist spent quite a bit of time meeting with us, reviewing the Ultrasound, and thoroughly explaining everything. Besides her heart being normal, the blood flow to and from the heart and major organs looks normal as well.

The Hygroma is still there. Because he has never seen us before he had no frame of reference to tell whether it was smaller, larger, or the same. Both Shelly and I, with our infinite medical wisdom (yeah right), agreed that proportionally it looked the same, about 1/3 to 1/2 the size of her head. The Cardiologist did not see any veins or arteries in the Hygroma which is GREAT news! He also did not see any Hydrops (fluid anywhere else in the body) which is EXCELLENT!!!

What does all of this mean? It means Riley still has a Cystic Hygroma which is moderate in size and located on the back of her neck/shoulder. It's good that it's on the back of her neck versus the front. If located on the front of her neck it could restrict her airway. It doesn't look as if the Hygroma is causing any stress to any major organs. We've also ruled out any Chromosomal abnormalities. It means we should continue to move forward with guarded optimism. We'll still need to check on her via Ultrasound every three to four weeks to make sure that she's doing okay and that there is no hydrops (fluid build up anywhere else in her body). The Cardiologist feels that with a normal heart she should carry to term and hopefully deliver normally, without C-section. She'll most likely require surgery within a few hours/days of being born to remove the Hygroma.

Riley's heart being normal is FANTASTIC news, and we'll take it! 30 weeks is the key turning point. Once we hit 30 weeks her chances of surviving go way up. We'll be 30 weeks on March 18th. The countdown continues.

24 Weeks!

Yeah! Yesterday we hit 24 weeks! And, Shelly's agreed to post belly shots. So read on for Riley's 24 week update and fun photos.

And, just TWO DAYS until the Fetal Echo appointment.

Riley's 24 Week Update:

• Bring on the bulk! Riley gains about 6 ounces this week. The weight is in muscle, bone mass, and organs.
• Her body begins to fill out with her appearance increasingly becoming more like a newborn.
• Taste buds begin to form. If Shelly drinks something strange or bitter, Riley could be observed showing her distaste. No Wine for Mama Shelly!
• Little creases have appeared on her palms. The muscular coordination of her hands has improved as she sucks her thumb.
• Over the next seven days the sweat glands will be forming in her skin.
• Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.
• This week she is officially considered viable with medical assistance to survive outside the womb.
• She weighs approximately 1.3 pound and is approximately 11.8 inches long.

She FINALLY Let Me Feel Her Again!

Riley finally decided to cooprate and let me feel her moving and grooving a little last night and A LOT this morning. Thank you Riley!! This put a much needed smile on my face as I'm starting to get anxious about Wednesday's Fetal Echo Cardiogram appointment. I'm trying to think only positive thoughts and believe that everything will be okay. But I feel anxious at the same time. Luckily besides the Echo Cardiogram they do a full Ultrasound so we'll get to see our precious little girl again. I hope and pray that the Hygroma has either gone down in size, is gone, or has at least stayed the same. Please send your positive thoughts and prayers our way!

We are 24 weeks tomorrow!!! Super Bowl Sunday and Riley is viable. What a wonderful day! More to come tomorrow on Riley's progress at 24 weeks.

Miscellaneous

Shelly and I both seem to finally be on the mend. Now we're both just whiny and want someone to pay attention to us. That's hard when we're both sick. But, we're both working today and I even ventured to the store to get medicine.

I've been trying to decide what to post today. There's really no updates on Riley or Shelly. Both are fine. Riley's a little bratty. She's a big wiggle worm until I try to feel here and then she freezes. She must have also gone through a growth spurt because Shelly's again looking more pregnant.

So, since I don't have any new or exiting news to post, I thought I'd just post miscellaneous thoughts, updates, and fun stuff.

I've posted before that our good friends LB and Erin, Tate's Mom's, are pregnant again. Their due about 4 weeks after us. They had their Fetal Well Being Ultrasound last week. Good news. Their Little One is healthy and measuring right on track. The technician did comment that she has really long legs. No surprise. So does her Mama LB. Did you catch the she? Yep, it's another girl! Tate's having a baby sister. Although she continues to refer to her as Thomas, as in Thomas the Train, or Baby Bubba. It will be fun having little girls so close in age. Plus, Tate will really be like a big sister to both of them.

My good friend Shelly called me last night with an update. After several miscarriages and lots of trying she's pregnant! Yeah! She's about 7 weeks. Once she gets past the first trimester I'm sure she'll have a big sigh of relief. I can't wait to hear what names they pick out. Her and her husbands names both start with S. As do their two dogs, Sage and Sierra. So their little one will no doubt be something like Sedona, Savannah, Shaniqua, Steven, Stu?

And finally, for fun, here is a picture of our adorable Boxer Roxi, strutting around the house with the treat I brought her home from the store.

Sick x2

We're both still sick.

Shelly had a really rough night last night. She finally got out of bed about 11:30 and came down on the couch. All night long she was just waiting for daylight to hit so she could go to the doctor. She had a horrible sore throat and was worried it might be strep. But, she's doing better today. Thank God. I've been absolutely worried about her. Me being sick, no big deal. Her being sick, BIG DEAL! If she wasn't better today I was taking her to the doctor. I just don't want to take any chances. We've already had enough road blocks thrown at us. But again, she's doing a little better and Riley is quite active today. So no doctor visits for her.

I, on the other hand, am doing worse. I'm very close to heading to the doctor myself. I'm having such a hard time getting my breath. But I just took a nice long nap and seem to be doing a little better.

The dogs don't like dealing with sick Mom's. They want attention, especially Roxi, our poodle trapped in a Boxer body. Today she even inserted herself between me and my lap top when I was working from bed. She was determined I must stop typing and pay attention to her. She's such a fun dog. She brings smiles and laughs to our lives every day.

Sick, Daytime TV, and the Countdown to Double Digits

Well, every time I travel I seem to get sick, I've done it again. I've brought a cold into our house and have already given it to Shelly. I'm in so much trouble. Both of us are pretty miserable. It's a strange cold as we're full of chest and head congestion but it's stuck. It's not coming out. My chest hurts so bad. I just want someone to pound on my chest to loosen it up. Shelly is just laying on the couch not saying much. When she's sick she doesn't have much to say. Besides I'm in trouble for getting her sick.

So, while we're sick, and I'm working from home, we're watching lots of Daytime TV. Part of the viewing includes all of the "Baby Story" type shoes on the Discovery Channel. It's so dang addictive! Every time Shelly tries to change the channel I feel all anxious and tell her to, "Go back! I have to see how it ends!" Next thing you know I'll start Tivo-ing Baby Stories, Adoption Stores, Runway Moms, etc., etc.

I love watching our ticker come down at the top of our page. We've got 117 days left to go. I can't wait until we hit the double digits!

Finally, a good friend of mine has entered the world of blogging. I think she's totally addicted already. Go visit her at http://roleplayingwithkids.blogspot.com/.

23 Weeks!

Another hurdle crossed!

We're on the cusp of viability!!!

Riley has been crazy. I know all Mom's say this but we really think she might be striving to be a gymnast. Or, maybe, she just likes torturing her Mama Shelly. She's been very crazy this last week. And now, she's even becoming stubborn! She'll be twirling away until I enter the scene. I put my hand on Shelly's baby and she freezes. She's so just teasing me. Little pill.

Here' a 23 week update:

• Proportions of the body are now quite similar to a newborn although thinner since she hasn't begun to form body fat.
• Bones located in the middle ear harden.
• Your baby is able to hear.
• The eyes are formed, though the iris still lacks pigmentation.
• The pancreas, essential in the production of hormones, is developing steadily. She has begun producing insulin, important for the breakdown of sugars.
• If born now, she has a 15% chance of survival, her odds going up with each passing day.
• The average baby at this stage weighs 1.1 pound (501gm) and is 11.38 inches (28.9cm) long.

And, JUST 10 DAYS until the Fetal Echo!