Introducing....

Caden Ford C.

August 8, 2007

3:16 am

7 lbs 4 oz

20 1/4 inches long

Just Waiting

Well, I went to the doctor today and we are making progress! Nothing to put me in the hospital just yet, but it could be any day now!! I think I must really be ready since I keep having these wonderful dreams that I can wear regular clothes again!

Terrible Thing to say to a Pregnant Woman #678

Let me just start by saying that this week is VBS here at work and we all wear matching shirts...which I decided not to wear one day.

Lady with no tact: "The only shirts we have left for VBS are 3XL....I bet those would fit you."

Me (stunned): "Well, I could put one on but that certainly doesn't mean it will fit me."

Then I thought what I really should have said is "No, that is too big for me. My large fits just fine. But there are plenty for you if you need it.

Blessings...

On March 22nd of this year R and I set out for the hospital to have our big ultra sound. We were very excited to see our baby and very anxious to find out whether we should focus on girl names or boy names (of course, we already had our girl name picked out - so he was destined to be a boy from the beginning). And he is a boy.

The ultra sound lasted for an hour and a half because we live in a town with a teaching hospital and the first 45 minutes were spent with the resident trying to figure out where everything was...the last 45 minutes were with the doctor telling us what everything was and taking measurements. At the very end of the ultra sound he scanned through all the pictures - stopping at one of Caden's brain. We really didn't know what we were looking at, but the doctor soon filled us in. It seemed that they found a cyst on his brain. He went on to explain that it was possible this cyst was nothing at all, but it also could be a marker for a disease called Trisomy 18. All I knew about Trisomy 18 was that babies born with this disease don't live, at least not long. The doctor felt that we had a pretty small risk for having a baby with this disease, but this one marker increased our chances - Caden was 3 times more likely to have T18.

We had to quickly make a couple of decisions about what we wanted our next step to be and we decided to start with a follow-up ultra sound - nothing more invasive. We figured we would know enough at that point to make a better decision. And we knew that we would not terminate no matter what.

We were pretty dazed when we left the hospital that day. At least I know I was. I also knew that if I had to talk about it too much I would break down (hormones - they get you every time). So, then we had to make all the calls to our family and friends (who were anxiously waiting) to let them know we were having a boy...and we had to act happy and pretend that everything was great. We had not yet decided what we were going to tell everyone.

We talked about it a lot that night and decided that we were not going to share the news with everyone, just a few people that we knew would pray their hearts out for our baby. We didn't want things to get blown out of proportion or for people to over-react since we knew very little about what was going on at that point. We also did not want to be faced with constant questions.

So we waited. We have waited for 12 weeks to know if our baby is sick. In the meantime we worked on coming to terms with the good and the bad. We felt like God gave us this challenge for a reason and no matter what happened...whether he lived or died...this was our son. God really gave us peace during these long weeks.

And now we know. We know that his cyst has gone away...no trace of it to be found. We know that his body is the exact size that it should be (just with a slightly larger head...runs in the family), his organs have developed perfectly, and he has no markers of this disease at all. He even has a "beautiful" heart according to Dr. Alan. I hope it stays beautiful.

So to everyone who has been praying for our baby - whether you knew any of this or not - we just want to thank you. God has blessed us and we are grateful.

Oh, For Cryin' Outloud

Last weekend I woke up to the wonderful feeling of both arms being asleep. I shook them, I squeezed my hands into fists, I rubbed them...all in hopes of getting the blood flowing again. It didn't really work. So throughout the day I continued to try to get them to "wake up". Eventually my upper arms regained feeling and the majority of the time I could feel the lower arms, but the hands just wouldn't cooperate. Finally, after about 4 days of mostly numb hands, I thought I might should call the doctor. Thinking maybe Caden was cutting off some circulation with his ginormous self, I called my OB to see what I should do. Eventually I talked with the nurse and she said that it was carpal tunnel and that this was very common in pregnancy...unfortunately. She informed me that I should go directly to the pharmacy and purchase a brace for each arm...wear them for several days...then once they started feeling better I could just sleep in them...oh, and prop up my arms at night.

So imagine with me if you will...my nightly process of trying to get comfortable enough to fall asleep.
...I usually have really bad indigestion so I have to prop my head and chest up
...I sleep with a pillow between my knees to reduce back pain
...and some days when my feet swell some I have to prop them up
...I lay on my left side...mostly
...And NOW...I have to prop up my arms.
I still haven't figured out exactly how that is going to work. The husband says that if I have to prop up one more thing then I will be level again, just at a higher elevation than before. Pretty sure this little guy is going to need a spankin' when he is born for all this trouble. Okay, maybe not...maybe just a stern look.

The Belly These Days

Several people have been asking to see my growing belly lately - so against my better judgement I am posting a picture. I have had to cut out my head because I look very annoyed in all the pics - which I am not saying this is exactly why, but it may have something to do with the way my hubby takes pics. He tries to go for the spontaneous look (which he calls "natural") and so my expression varies quite a bit...mostly between annoyed and rolling my eyes. But I am NOT saying that was the problem.

And by the way...if you think I look huge just keep it to yourself...trust me, I feel huge...here is what I have to say about it:

- If I don't make it past 37 weeks I am so okay with that (however, I would like to at least make it to 37).

- I can't really do anything about how big the belly is getting. I try, but he grows when he grows.

- I am more than happy to have a very healthy sized baby! I would rather he not be 9 lbs or more, but if he is healthy...the daddy and I are happy! Well, if he is 9+ lbs it may be a while before I am really happy again, but you know what I mean!

Reasons I Love Being Pregnant #2

No more pesky zippers on your pants! Elastic-stretchy-band pants are not so bad after all!! Although, when I do start wearing real pants again - I wonder how many times I will forget to zip up! Oh, well - it is tons of fun for now.

A Bit of Wisdom from the Husband...

Monday was a very action packed day of kicking for our little boy baby. He seemed to be moving constantly - most of the movements being pretty hard little kicks. But I was telling the husband that yesterday he was very calm (he must have worn himself out). He was calm until about 9:45 last night that is. At that point he started soccer practice again.

So the husband says "Well, does he usually move around much during the day?"

"Not as much as he does at night."

And (here is where the wisdom thing comes in) R says "Well, you need to get him on a schedule! Keep him up during the days so that he will sleep at night. And while you're at it - go ahead and start on the potty training too."

Reasons I Love Being Pregnant #1

While on your way to pee in a cup (at the doctor's office), you run into a woman coming out of the restroom in front of you. With one hand she is opening the door and in the other hand she holds her cup 'o pee and a Hawaiian Punch...and all you can think is "Man that Hawaiian Punch looks good."

Don't try this at home...

Try not to say things like this to the pregnant women near you:

"Do you know what it is?" Hope it's a baby or my husband will be really mad!

"Oh, it's a boy...your husband must be so happy." I guess there is an unwritten rule that men only want boys. Oh and I guess women only like girls.

"I think you are starting to really be pregnant!" Hmmm...been pregnant for a while now...that might explain it.

"You look really tired...pregnancy will do that to you!" Well, you are really annoying...stupidity will do that to you.

The Boy

Here are the photos of the little man:

This is his little body. Not real fond of this picture seeing as how he looks like Skeletor and all, but he does actually have flesh on his face - we saw it. In this pic you are seeing head, elbow, part of a hand and knees.

Here is his manhood. I told R that I would block it out to keep this family friendly - but when I did that you really couldn't tell what was going on in the photo - so I left it. I guess this post will have to be rated R (or maybe worse). This picture is actually from the inside of his body looking down (so that isn't his you-know hole). Then his legs are out to either side.

This is by far my favoritist pic - I tried to brighten it a little so it would be more obvious. But this is his hand (far left) holding his foot. Behind the foot is his other foot. I think this photo is very sweet!

The Pregnant Mind

This morning I got into my car and went through my mental checklist (as I put everything into the passenger seat) to make sure I had everything I needed for the day.

keys - check
purse - check
sunglasses - check
jacket for when I freeze to death in the office - check
remote for the t.v. - check
head back into the house to return remote to the coffee table - check

The sad thing is that I had not even used the remote this morning - so I have no idea when I picked it up. It is amazing I make it through the day at all.

The Gender Issue

There just isn't much happening in my world these days. Well, things are happening, but not anything really very interesting. I kind of feel like my life is on hold until next week when we will hopefully find out if we are having a boy or a girl. I feel like I can actually get some things accomplished at that point. I will know what furniture we are getting for the nursery, I will know what color to paint the walls, I will know what bedding I will want to use, and so on.

Oh, and we will know which name we will be using for our little peanut...Emmaline Cinderella (family name) or Maximus Octavius (like the Gladiator). If you do not like our name choices...well, that's just too bad...and since we have made our decision you can also stop making suggestions! Max and Emma aren't so bad! Except that my sister has a dog named Max...but he won't live forever!

But if we don't have a successful ultra sound next week, then we are going to get the 3D ultra sound at a place in Austin. I am hoping we don't have to do this - because quite frankly the pictures can be a little frightening! Plus we would like a little bit of a surprise at the end - and not already know what he or she might look like!

By the way...these may or may not be the actual names that we use...but seriously guys we have the book of 100,001 names...if we can't find something out of there to name our baby then we shouldn't be parents in the first place. But we appreciate the thought...and you are more than welcome to suggest...but if you get a fake smile and an insincere "Thank you" then don't take it too personally...it just really gets exhausting.

Updated

Some very funny (though a little misguided) things that my husband has said since we found out I am pregnant:

1. "I want us to have an old-fashioned delivery. The kind where I sit out in the waiting room."

2. "…and so I said 'I don't have a problem with dirty diapers…I don't do diapers so why would I have a problem with them?'"

3. "But the baby likes it when I tickle your feet."

4. "If it is twin boys let's name them Anakin and Eragon!"

5. One night (after a long day of "morning sickness") he asked if I was okay to which I replied NO...so he said "Well, you only have 7 more months."

6. "Here, just get a to-go box… you'll be hungry again in an hour."

7. "Did you poot? Do you need to? Can I video the delivery so I can catch you pooting?"

8. "I think I am gaining sympathy weight."

9. The husband and Dave went to pick up the crib we purchased a few days ago. On the way he said to Dave "This is kind of exciting...it's like going to get your first dog house for your first puppy!" To which Dave replied "...it is NOT like getting a puppy!"

10. After we both suffered from a stomach virus a couple of weeks he said "I think I can handle the sympathy weight...but this sympathy puking really sucks."

11. When trying to pose for the belly shot below, I told him that I wanted to look pregnant but not fat...to which he replied "I can't do both here." It is really a good thing that I love him. A really, really, really good thing.

Just imagine a huge eye-rolling on my part after each of the above statements!

Pregnant Belly 1

So here it is, for my mom and sister, since they want to see what my belly is looking like! This was a week or so ago (I haven't grown anymore since). And I have not gained but about 8 lbs. so it seems everything is just shifting forward (or clinging to my back).





I got to hear the heartbeat yesterday, and so far everything is looking good. And by the way, they can't tell from the heartbeat if it is a boy or girl because it was right at 140 (and the doctor said that is an old wives tale anyway)!

Ta Da! The Peanut Picture

Well, after I had my first sonogram the doctor told me that I could not make photocopies of it because the paper was heat sensitive. So after thinking about it, I started wondering if that meant that I couldn't scan it in either since I would assume that the picture would receive the same amount light and heat as it would from the copier. So I didn't do anything with the picture all this time for fear that I would ruin it. But the doctor gave me two pics, one not so clear, so I decided that if I ruined the bad one I would still have the other...so I tried...and it worked just fine!

So here he or she is...

This is the only pose we could get because apparently it was nap time for the little peanut and it was not the least bit interested in moving. I assume you can tell what it is...the head is to the right with the arms directly below then the body. This angle doesn't really show the legs. He/ She is lying on his/ her back...much like our dog does when she sleeps...I guess it runs in the family!

Oh, the things they will say...

One of the first things my sister warned me about (when I told her I was pregnant) was all the "useful" advice everyone would have for me including all of their morning sickness and labor stories. I could see that this may be a problem, especially since I work at a church and have so many "friends" to give me the advice (which translates to mean all the little old ladies that share too much info anyway).

So far the morning sickness stories haven't been too bad since most of them have come from people I know a little better. I have enjoyed hearing their funny memories of those exciting first several weeks of hurling and eating. But I was a little shocked the other day when someone said "at least now you look healthy."

I have been thinking about that statement today. Hmmmm....now I look healthy. Why is that? Is it that pale green look I have much of the day from nausea, maybe it makes me look more tan. Or is it the fact that my chest is beginning to pop out of my clothes, boob jobs always make you look healthier. Or is it the little pudge in my gut that popped up overnight and makes my pants too tight thus causing me to have to do the rubber band trick just so that I have something to wear. Maybe it is the fact that since I have such a hard time with nausea in the mornings I just don't care what my hair looks like and so I go through much of the day (okay, all day) all frizzy and stringy and pitiful looking (it matches the green skin pretty well I think!).

So I have come to the conclusion that either this person was coming up with the best comment that they could think of to make me feel good (in which case they failed miserably and should have just stuck with "Congrats" or something)...or they had no idea that I am all emotional and sensitive right now with all the hormones raging and that one little off-handed remark would have me in such deep contemplation for so long.

Well, at any rate, if you want to look healthy it seems that all you have to do is get pregnant! Good news, huh?

A Year In Review

Well, I'm back! I know that everyone is just SO excited! Anyway, we had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year...so far! I did have to come back to work today, so the jury is still out on the Happy New Year part! :)

I just wanted to share my Year in Review letter with everyone. I know...yawn...but you may actually find this one somewhat exciting...I do at least!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We hope that this year has been a good one for your family. For us, 2006 has been busy, sometimes stressful, and uncertain at times but in the long run it has been good.

In July we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary and were able to take a trip to Colorado. Randy fished to his heart's content while I just enjoyed relaxing & sight seeing. The trip was a lot of fun (well, except for the time when Randy "caught" me in the back with his fishing hook... that hurt a little) But the trip came at the perfect time since we were in the big middle of our move to a new house.

This brings us to the next major event...The Move!

We had planned to put our house on the market in the summer since we were so sick of our pool and wanted more space. But as it happens we ended up selling the house before we even listed it! This was both great and a huge nightmare (since we had no house to move to)! So after some very stressful and serious house hunting…we finally got our new home. And it was just in time too, since we were about to have to end the search and find a rent house! Since then I have been busy painting and decorating! I only have a few rooms left and it is really starting to feel like home.

But our greatest accomplishment this year was still yet to come! We recently found out the happy news that we will be having our first baby in summer 2007. Just the finding out has been a little adventure in itself - we weren't quite expecting it yet! We were able to tell our parents with special Christmas gifts... which was too much fun! We don't know much more about the happy news, but we will be sure to let you know as time goes by!

We hope this New Year will bring many blessings to your family. We look forward to all that 2007 holds for our growing family!

Randy & Kara