6 month update

VIABILITY!!! We've made it to a huge milestone for our sweet babe!  Now that she is 24 weeks, she is considered viable- which means every life saving measure will be taken for her.  If for some reason I went into super pre-term labor she now has a 50% survival rate outside of the womb.  While I by no means hope for a micro-preemie, it is a comfort to know that her life is considered worth saving now, and that it's possible.  However, hang in there baby girl, for at least another 3 months if not 4.

Aidia has grown stronger this week, just as I was hoping.  I saw a few kicks from the outside this week and Kevin was finally able to feel her moving around!  In fact, one morning when I finally crashed into a deep sleep after being up all night, and Kevin said he felt her kicking him right in the bum while he was trying to sleep-haha!

A this point, she has brain waves similar to a newborn.  That means she has conscious thought and memory!  It's a perfect time to be talking to her and playing music.  She is also about 1.5 lbs now and already feels heavy (uh oh.)

We're enjoying this nesting phase at home.  Her crib should be arriving soon and I've been trying to rearrange our room to fit the crib and rocking chair in it (not an easy task.)  Her name banner came to go above her crib and make that little corner of our room hers <3  I love it.  I feel so happy looking at it and thinking this dream is really happening.

My sweet friend who also happens to be an awesome artist painted me this picture for my birthday.  It fits Aidia's "yellow elephant" theme- which is what Jack told me his sister's room would be before we were pregnant. I love how cute it is and how much meaning is behind it!  One more touch of her in our home and it feels great.

We went to Idaho this week to visit my mom and step-dad, and even though it was thrown together last minute and was a quick weekend trip- it was a blast!  I was so happy to spend some time with them.  I don't think I'll be traveling any more until after baby makes her appearance, so it was perfect timing.  We went to the fair there and Jack was spoiled rotten.  So many great memories!  Aside from the embarrassing one when I had to get a wheelchair after walking a few miles because I started cramping and spotting.  Then everyone kept giving Kevin "aw" glances as he pushed his pregnant wife around for the rest of the night haha.  My parents spoiled me and baby too (naturally.)  Haha this shirt from my mom is perfect.  I'm excited to have a little girl to be my mini me, although I'm sure she'll still look like her daddy's side!

                                 

I have a doctor appointment tomorrow to check up on everything and do normal prenatal care and tests- then I'll have my next ultrasound in a month. I think as we get closer to delivery I'm getting more anxious about the complications I had with Jack (with his size and the difficult delivery and the year long recovery that included steroid injections right next to my stitches.  Yes, those stitches.  Ouch.) I want to make sure we watch her size and act accordingly so I don't end up in a C-Section which I narrowly escaped last time. I am also still anxious about stillbirth and her heart stopping if we go late at all- I've just seen it happen with so many MTHFR women. Naturally I'm scared of that after recurrent loss anyway. My hope is if I talk to the doctor he can calm some of these fears, since I'm sure many are not scientifically grounded. I am normally not a fan of inducing before the baby is ready- but I think with my risk factors and since I know the due date for sure (since we did ovulation tests etc) I feel peaceful with the idea of inducing at 39 weeks. Even if that causes a longer and more difficult labor. We will have to play it by ear. I just feel like she might be safer outside the womb at that point. Jack was born the day before his "due date" and he had already had a bowel movement, was in distress, and was huge. They would have let me go a week past my due date with him if I hadn't fought to be admitted and help the labor along (I was stuck at a 1cm with contractions every 3 minutes) and the thought of that makes me panic. He would have been in a really bad situation if he had been born much later. We will see what the doctor says. I also have to have faith that the labor and delivery will work out ok and that she will be safe. <3