Caution: Women at Work

We continue to work on Riley's room. It's definitely been an adventure. Thank God for Shelly's brother Steve! Unfortunately he has to do all of the hard labor, putting up bead board, hanging the blinds, putting up molding, etc. Yesterday and today his big chore was to put the closet organizer in Riley's room. Well, right now he'd be happy if he never heard the term Closet Organizer AGAIN! What a piece of crap. Yes I bought the most basic closet organizer kit at Home Depot. But, for over $100 you think that it would at least come with good instructions and all the right parts. Hell no! It's been a complete nightmare. There have been several times in the past two days that I thought if I said one more word he'd seriously slug me. But, as of tonight, the closet organizer is in!

Meanwhile, I'm washing, washing, washing all of Riley's clothes, bedding and bankets. And, I've even started putting it away, in her new closet organizer! For weeks now I've been worried we didn't buy enough Jammies for her. I must have lost my mind because I've put enough Jammies away to last at least two weeks without doing wash. And that includes extra changes if necessary. So, we're good on Jammies!

Riley's room is getting close to being ready. I've spent quite a bit time the past two days working on her room. Shelly has been helping me whenever possible. We're so close. Soon, very soon, I'll be able to post pictures.

Once we get Riley's room done I can move to the next items on my list. 1) Get the cars detailed before Riley comes and 2) Box up my Scrapbook room. Hopefully in three weeks or so my new and much bigger Scrapbook room downstairs will be ready. Can't wait to post pictures of that! After these "To Do's" are done I have plenty, plenty more.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!

32 Weeks!

We hit the 32 week mark on Sunday!

We had a super busy weekend with continued celebrations of Shelly's birthday. We also spent time working on Riley's room. We're getting closer. And for those of you asking for pictures there will be no sneak peaks! No pictures until it's done! :)

Today was our weekly non-stress test. Shelly's blood pressure was perfect and the amniotic fluid is right in the normal range.

Riley's heart beat baseline was lower but still fluctuated in the normal range. The concern is Shelly's having what they call "Uterine Irritability". Her uterus is active and showing tightening but it doesn't seem like she's having full contractions. She's supposed to rest more and stay hydrated. It wasn't serious enough that they asked her to come in again this week. So, she needs to take it easy, and I'll keep an eye on her, until our appointment next Tuesday.

Shelly describes it as that she "just feels different" this week. She explains part of it as a tightening feeling below her belly button when she stands up. She's also feeling tightening and pain in her back as well. Anyone out there experience this? Any suggestions? We're just 32 weeks and want to make sure we make it to at least 36 weeks.

Happy Birthday Shelly!

Today is Shelly's Birthday. Happy Birthday Shelly!

On this special day of celebrating all things Shelly I have to say,

"Shelly, you are my love, my life, my everything! I love the sound of your laughter and the fact that you make me laugh, all the time. I love those big blue eyes and your radiant smile. YOU make me a better person. You are the half that makes me whole. You have done a wonderful job carrying our child so that we could share our love with her. I thank you for this. I celebrate you today and everyday!"


Because I couldn't wait until today I gave Shelly her present last week. But, you can't not have presents on your birthday. So this morning Riley gave Shelly a jewelry organizer for her night stand. Very exciting stuff! :) Riley and I both gave her flowers. Tonight she'll be treated to a double layer Cherry Chip cake with white icing. I'm a Funfetti fan but Shelly's a Cherry Chipper. We'll also get take out Mexican for dinner. Shelly loves her Smothered Burritos. This weekend we'll celebrate with her family.

We spent the morning at a an OB appointment and then a meeting with our Lawyer. All went well. She gained two pounds which puts her at a total of 10. She had a little protein in her urine so they're doing a 24-hour urine test to see if she's at risk for Preeclampsia. Hopefully it's fine just like last time. She's still measuring a week ahead.


At the Lawyers we started the process for our Estate and Will planning, but most importantly, our co-Guardianship paperwork. In the state of Utah same sex couples cannot adopt. In fact, I had to sign my rights over and act as just an egg donor for Invitro. We have an amazing lawyer in the State that campaigns and cares, almost exclusively, for rights of same sex couples. She's established the "Co-guardianship Agreement" that helps to protect both our rights as Riley's parents. Also, in order to establish our intent to create a family unit, I'm changing my last name to Shelly's last name. In Utah, any step we can take to show our intent to be a family helps to protect us both. It's too bad we have to take the extra steps to protect ourselves but it's also so important.

Today I leave you with the card Riley put on her Mom's flowers. Pretty amazing given she's still in the womb!

60 Day Dance!

We're doin' the 60 day dance! 60 Days to go! Yeah!!!

First Non Stress Test

Today was our first Non Stress Test (NST).

The first part of the test consists of doing a brief ultrasound to measure the amniotic fluid (AF) levels. Last week the AF was slightly higher than normal. This week it was normal! First test passed!

As the nurse was checking the fluid we caught a glimpse of Riley practicing swallowing. It was the coolest thing! It looked as if someone was squeezing her ribs in and out. The nurse told us that it was good that she was doing this because if she didn't pass the NST then there were several additional things they would measure. One of which is to monitor her to see if she's swallowing for 30 seconds. So, although this wasn't a required part of the NST today she passed!
Next they good hooked up the blue and pink belts around Shelly's belly. One for monitoring Riley's heart (pink) and one for monitoring contractions (blue). Riley's heart beat did just as they wanted it to do. They establish a baseline and then monitor that her heart rate fluctuates at least 15 beats higher than the baseline at least 2-3 times in twenty minutes. At least that's how we understood it. We could be completely off. We'll learn more each week. Anyway, she passed this test as well!

Finally, the last piece, is to monitor contractions. At this point she is having little to no contractions. Final test passed! So, we've got an A+ student on our hands beside being a great hurdle jumper!

Park City was fun but we came home a day early. We decided would rather be home getting Riley's room ready. We're totally nesting! So, we came back into the valley, shopped for the rest of our bare necessities, and worked on Riley's room. We have a few things to finish up and then we can get the furniture moved in and get everything set up and put away.

Now, both of us are SICK!!! Again!!! We're both miserable! At least I can take cold medicine. Poor Shelly has to just suffer through it. I hope we feel much, much better tomorrow.

Thursday we have an OB appointment. More updates then.

I've Got A Lot to Say Today

I'm posting a novel today. I have several items to cover so I'm breaking it down into sections. If you get bored take a coffee break and come back to finish after your eyes have uncrossed!

===== Section 1 - I'm a Winner! =====

I need to win something, anything. All I can think about lately, besides Riley arriving safely, is gambling. Maybe being selected for a "Thinking Blogger Award" will fill that winning itch of mine that needs scratching.

My great blogger friend Tiffany, at Uncommon Nonsense, nominated me for a Thinking Blogger Award. Her direct quote is below:

3 dogs 2 moms 1 baby – This blog is so special for so many reasons. Dee and Shelly are about to be first time mommies. Their soon-to-be daughter, Riley, will be born with a hygoma and will need surgery to remove it after she is born. I admire Dee and Shelly’s strength and courage and feel honored to share in their journey.

Well, Tiff, I'm honored and you are so sweet! Thank you, thank you!

When you've been tagged as a Thinking Blogger you're supposed to award the Thinking Blogger to five blogs that make you think. I've also read that you can't duplicate blogs that you know have already been nominated. This is hard because I have MANY blogs I frequent and some of my favorites have already been tagged. I'm therefore choosing blogs that I love to haunt and have not, to my knowledge, been tagged. But if I haven't included you below frequent haunts know I'm not playing favorites because I love keeping up with you all!

1 - Backyard Musings - Although I've just recently found Rae at Backyard Musings I've got to give a shout out to her. She's a 29 year old ovarian cancer survivor. She's the mother of a beautiful little girl. Her and her partner are trying to expand their family which is going to be a difficult process because of Rae's medical history. Plus Rae's a scrapbooker! Girl after my own heart!

2 - Arcane Matters - I love keeping up with the New York girls and their soon to be born twin girls. They've had a long and difficult Trying to Conceive journey and I'm so glad they're getting close to bringing their little girls into this world.

3 - Lois & Holly's Baby Story - Lois and Holly's new baby boy Andrew is actually Riley's biological half sibling (same donor). I love keeping up with their adventures of bringing a new little one into their family. It's also exciting to see pictures of Andrew and wonder if Riley will share any of his features.

4 & 5 - Uterus x 2 and Infertile Pediatrician - Two separate blogs from the same couple. They also have had an incredibly difficult Trying to Conceive journey. Because of the numerous failed attempts they decided they should both begin trying in hopes that eventually one of them would become pregnant. We'll one of them is now pregnant! And the other is going to try again soon!

===== Section 2 - Thanks to ALL OF YOU! =====

Thank you all for your comments, thoughts, prayers, and well wishes as we're going through an incredibly difficult journey. We're back on the mend after this weeks doctors appointment. We're keeping the reality of "possible worst case" in the back of our minds while trying to focus on the "best case" scenario and sending lots of positive energy to Riley!

You're all right. She's a fighter!!! I know she's going to fight once she's born as well. Things won't be perfect. We'll have hurdles to overcome once she's born but she's a fighter and I know she can't wait to prove to the doctors that she is ONE INCREDIBLE LITTLE GIRL!

Again, THANK YOU ALL for your comments. They really helped me get through the day yesterday. Thank you!

===== Section 3 - Shelly's B-day Present =====

I'm the worst present giver in the world! I can't wait until the big day to give people their gifts. I don't think I've ever actually given Shelly a gift on her birthday. This year is no exception. Her birthday is next Thursday. We'll, I just HAD to give her her gift today. And now I have to share it with all of you.

I bought her an IPOD. Pretty boring, but a fun gift to get because it's not something you need. But, I took it a step further. I created a playlist for her called "Riley's Mix". My intention was to give her something to keep her calm, relaxed, and focused on Riley at the hospital. The compilation is actually quite the tear jerker. As I was downloading the songs I welled up with Alligator tears several times! So, here's the list. I'm so proud of myself I just had to share it with you.

At Last - Etta James
I Knew I Love You - Savage Garden
A Mother's Prayer - Celine Dion
Blessed Be - Alison Krauss
Baby Mine - Bette Midler
In My Daughter's Eyes - Martina McBride
Close to You - The Carpenters
A Mother's Prayer - Carnie Wilson
Beautiful Child - Eurythmics
Child of Mine - Carole King
A New Day Has Come - Celine Dion
My Little Girl - Tim McGraw
Isn't She Lovely - Stevie Wonder
Blessed - Elton John
Have a Little Faith in Me - John Hiatt
You'll Be in My Heart - Phil Collins
Angel's Lullaby - Richard Marx
Forever Young - Rod Stewart
I Could Not Ask For More - Sara Evans
Precious - Annie Lenox
Ooh Child - Donnie McClurkin
With Arms Wide Open - Creed
Thank God for Kids - Oak Ridge Boys (This one was a stretch but I just had to include it.)

There are several songs on this CD that remind me of name that tune. Except it goes like this, "I can cry in just three notes." Total tear jerkers! But, I love the mix and have thoroughly enjoyed listening to it over and over.

===== Section 4 - Riley's IPOD Experience =====

Tonight we hooked up two sets of head phones to Shelly's IPOD so both her and Riley could listen. She started off with a little Gwen Stefani. Well, Riley LOVED IT! She was kicking and moving like she has never done before. Keep in mind she's a very ACTIVE baby. At one point she actually punched so hard it really hurt. That was enough Gwen. I think Riley might have a little crush.

We moved to a little Fleetwood Mac, Toto, and Cat Stevens (strange combo, I know) which again she loved. She was seriously punching where we had the headphones positioned. If we moved the headphones she would start punching (or kicking) in their new position. It was crazy! We think she definitely likes music and are going to have a ball sharing more and more music with her.

There is one song that I couldn't find on iTunes to add to her list. It's been Riley's song since we new we had a bun in the oven. It's "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles. It's my fav! I love the Beatles and love, love this song. I can't wait to get it downloaded and play it for her.

===== Section 5 - FINALLY, WE'RE OFF! =====

We're off to Park City for the weekend! Yeah!!! We're going to enjoy great food, clean mountain air, and lots of shopping.

Hope you all have a GREAT weekend!

30 Week Reality Check

Yesterday we had another Ultrasound. I'm beginning to hate these appointments. On one hand we're always excited to see Riley, and how she's doing, but they also serve as a BIG DAMN REALITY CHECK that not everything is peachy.

Riley is doing well. She's measuring about a week ahead and weighs approximately 3 lbs 13 oz. Her heart, stomach, kidneys, etc. all seem to be doing fine. There is no appearance of hydrops (excess fluid around the heart, brain, etc.) which is wonderful. The Hygroma appears to be larger, approximately 8x8x7 centimeters. The amniotic fluid is a little high. Because of the hygroma, the excess amniotic fluid, and the fact that we've made it to 30 weeks, they're going to begin doing weekly Non Stress Tests (NST). The NST will monitor Riley's heart, contractions, and amniotic fluid levels. We'll follow up with another full Ultrasound in three weeks.

Yesterday the doctors began the tough conversations with us. We realize they held off on these conversations until we hit the 30 week mark because they really didn't know if Riley was going to make it this far. Now the conversation switches to what is going to happen when she's born. Their first major concern is that the Hygroma is not obstructing her airway. Then, if it's not, but she needs to be resuscitated, the Hygroma could impact resuscitation efforts. Once we get past her being able to survive outside the womb, the next hurdle is to figure out why the Hygroma is there. Hopefully it's improper drainage of the lymphatic system and the Hygroma can be drained or extracted at some point. This may not happen immediately because the doctors may want to wait until she is stronger before performing surgery. There could also be something wrong with her physically, such as an organ not functioning properly. She could still have a syndrome that cannot be found via the Amniocentesis such as Noonan's syndrome. IT'S ALL A BIG UNKNOWN! And it sucks! We just want answers!!!! Which we know we won't get until she's born. We just want her to be okay. We don't want her to be in any pain. We'll deal with whatever cards we're dealt but it is so DAMN hard!

After the mood yesterday's appointment left us in, we decided we need some cheering up and to find a way celebrate our little Riley. So we went to Babies R Us and registered. We had a ball and it got our mind off of everything for awhile. But reality hit again today. We've now decided to hold off having any baby showers until after she's born. We don't know what's going to happen and she could end up staying in the hospital for awhile. We'd hate to have our friends and family spend money on gifts and then have something horrible happen. We're going to focus on getting the bare essentials to get us by. Then, assuming everything goes wonderfully (I've got to start getting positive energy out there) we'll have showers and give everyone the chance to meet our little angel.

For now, I'm asking for two things from all of you:
1) Lots and lots of prayers, thoughts, and positive energy.
2) What are the necessities? Not wants but just the needs to get us by when she first comes home?