Happy Holidays!

We are so loving every single minute of the holidays with our Baby K. She is such a joy.

Looking

As Malone and I are gearing up for our first holiday season with our little girl, I have been reflecting a lot on what Christmas traditions Malone and I grew up with that we would like to perpetuate in our family. One tradition has really been standing out in my mind. Each year around the first of December my mom would hang up our "Beary Merry" Christmas Day advent calendar. It's a wall hanging fabric quilted type thing. I know that sounds vague. Sorry. Anyway, it shows a cross section of a house with lots of rooms. Each section of the house and some of the landscaping has a little piece of velcro. With the calendar comes a little bear that you move from room to room each day as you approach Christmas. The calendar tells the story of this little bear looking for Christmas throughout his house. Finally on Christmas the little bear finds Christmas in his living room with his family. Cute, right? It is such a cherished memory from my childhood. Each day all of us kids (all nine of us!!!) would try to wake up as early as possible because the first one up got to move the bear. Trust me, there were more than a few times when my parents had to move it back because one of us would get the "smart" (totally predictable) idea to stay up late and move it ahead the night before so nobody else could. Anyway, I am looking for one of these advent calendars. It was created by Cranston Print Works company and was sold in the 80's and is no longer in print. I am looking for the 24 day one (not to be mistaken for the less awesomer 15 day version). If anyone out there has one they would be willing to sell or knows someone who would be willing to sell, I would REALLY appreciate the info. Please send emails about it to buildingoureternalfamily@gmail.com. I have included a photo of what the advent calendar looks like.

Ughhhh

Midterms=Migraines

That's all.

Just Pictures

We are busy busy bees

We have been so busy around our home. Baby K has been growing in leaps and bounds and is accomplishing new things every day. She can now sit up briefly with no assistance, roll over both from stomach to back and back to stomach, repeats "mamamamama" over and over again, loves to play peekaboo, and she has FINALLY learned to like her jumper. Our little monster has also learned to blow raspberries, and screech at the top of her lungs. But we are so proud of her every progression and we probably spoil her too much.

I also recently returned to school. I am hoping to finish up my Bachelor's degree. But the great thing is that I was able to schedule all my classes online so I still get to stay at home with Baby K which is such a relief.

Malone is also doing well although he is a bit stressed. He submitted his proposal for his oral examination which is coming up in about four weeks. Aside from writing up his proposal which was about 30 pages long, he will also have to make a presentation of the research he has done so far along with the research he is proposing to accomplish before being awarded his PhD to his board of professors and any students who care to come. For this presentation Malone is responsible for providing refreshments to those who attend, so I am going to put together the best spread those professors have ever seen!

After his presentation his board of professors will have a private examination with Malone where they will each have the opportunity to ask him any questions they care to ask. And by any, I mean ANY. They could ask him anything about basic high school chemistry or biology or they could ask about the most advanced or obscure Biochemistry they can think of. Based on his proposal, his presentation, and his examination his committee will decide whether he has provided satisfactory progress to continue on in the PhD program. If they decide he hasn't, it is a possibility they could kick him out with a Master's degree. That would be extremely rare and is highly unlikely considering he has several publications in the works, but it is still a possibility. Assuming he passes their inspection, he will be allowed to continue in the program and *hopefully* will be able to finish up his PhD in just another year and a half. I feel confident in my husband. He's the smartest person I know and he has worked so hard for this. But I know Malone is extremely nervous about the presentation and examination because he struggles with public speaking.

Anyway, this is the crazy life we lead! But we wouldn't have it any other way. I'll try to get more posts up soon with some pictures.

Check out our A's!

So, yes. I'm well aware of the fact that I haven't posted in about... forever. I kind of abandoned my blog. But what can I say? I spend all of my free time snuggling my sweet baby.

Anyway, here are a couple of photos taken recently. We are showing our Aggie pride and ready for the new football season! I'll try to post some more later.

Absence

Sorry all for the absence! But at least I have a good excuse! These are the things we've been up to over the past few weeks.

Family

I have been debating about posting this. I don't really know why. But in the end, I count this blog as my journal so I felt I just had to put this out there.

June is a difficult month for our family. Exactly three years ago our son was born at 24 weeks gestation. He weighed 1 lb 8 oz. He passed away seven days after he was born. The doctors were amazed he made it that long. But I wasn't. Although I wanted to believe otherwise, I think I knew deep down that he wasn't going to be able to stay for long. I know that every minute of his life was a great struggle. I believe my son gave me those 7 days as a gift.

It's a difficult thing to find the delicate balance between grieving over his loss and celebrating his birth. Both Malone and I have been able to pick up the pieces and move on, but sometimes the grief will still pop up and take me by surprise. Especially today, his birthday. I find myself wondering about what he would have looked like and how different my life would be with a three year old little boy. I wonder about what Malone and I can do to help Baby K "know" her big brother.

Today was a little extra special and a little extra sad because we got to go visit his grave. We hung flowers and had a family prayer. I cried more than I have in a long time. But it was strengthening to be able to stand there with my little family and thank Heavenly Father for each other and for the chance we have to be together forever because of the fact that Malone and I were married in the holy temple in Nauvoo Illinois. If you would like to learn more about our belief in temples and in forever families, click HERE.

Baby K's "Honey Bear"

Three years ago when our son was born at 24 weeks we unintentionally started a little family tradition. You see, our baby boy was extremely premature so he spent his short life in the NICU hooked up to monitors and lines. The hospital wasn't exactly the most cheerful place, to say the least. So one day Malone and I decided to go to Build A Bear and create a little bear just for our little Gavin. Shortly after that he passed away. Now his little "Buddy Bear" holds a special place in our home.

After I became pregnant with Baby K we kind of held our breath for the first 24 weeks just waiting to see if I would be able to make it that far. When we hit that milestone we remembered that trip we took to Build A Bear for Gavin. We decided that we would take a trip to Build A Bear to celebrate our accomplishment and to purchase a bear for Baby K that would help her relate to her brother. We lovingly dubbed that bear "Honey Bear."

As Baby K grows, we are taking pictures of her with her Honey Bear so she can have a physical representation of her progression through childhood. These are her Honey Bear pictures so far.

Immunizations

Today Baby K got her two month immunizations. She really hated them. Poor kid!

Giveaway!!!

My sister Rachel and her husband Johnny are launching a new business by doing a giveaway for Father's Day! So check out her website HERE and enter for the chance to win one of their cute decorations!

Adoption Situation

I received a tip about an available adoption situation today that I thought I would pass along to my blog readers. I wish we could adopt this little girl ourselves. I've been thinking about it all morning wondering if we might be able to afford it, but I'm afraid that the combination of two failed adoptions and the pregnancy and birth of our daughter have completely wiped us out financially. But hopefully I can help find this precious daughter of God the right family.

I've copied the important bits of the email below.

"A friend is trying to help place the baby of a Kansas teen mother with an adoptive family in Colorado. The baby is un-born, a little girl, and has Down's Syndrome. If you know of anyone who is pro-life and interested in providing this baby with a home and family, please let me or Maureen Cleary know. Thanks! Contact Information: Kelsha 303.478.3964 wellkeptsecret@hotmail.com"

I know it says they're looking for an adoptive family in Colorado, but I would still encourage all of you who might be interested to at least send an email anyway. You never know, perhaps the birth mother might consider placing in Utah.

Hooray for summer!

Baby K is growing bigger and stronger every day. She has outgrown a few of her newborn clothes and according to our bathroom scale she now weighs about 11 & 1/2 lbs. She now holds up her head on her own without wobbling and she smiles back when either Malone or I smile at her. In the past few days she has even started giggling! It's so fun to watch her grow and it's so rewarding to have her interact with us. It does make me sad to pack away some of these tiny clothes though. Sometimes I just wish I could slow down time with this kiddo!

In other news, we had our first hot dog roast of the season for FHE this week with a handful of my siblings and their families. It was a bit chilly (which is why Baby K is all bundled up like the kid off of "A Christmas Story" in the picture above) but we had so much fun! It really made me excited for summertime and now I'm just itching to go camping.

This summer we have a lot of really fun plans. Mostly those plans include being more active: hiking, swimming, camping, gardening, and so on. But we're ESPECIALLY excited for our summer vacation this year. It's going to be a couple of cram packed weeks, but it's going to be so fun. This vacation is going to hold a lot of firsts for me. I'm going to the Gulf of Mexico for the first time, I'll be going to Disney World for the first time, and best of all I'm actually going to get to meet my husband's Nana for the first time! Toss in a bunch of time with our family and close friends, and I really don't think you can beat it.

If your family is hoping to adopt

I have begun a new section on my sidebar for those of you who are couples hoping to adopt. If you would like me to add you to the list, please feel free to leave a comment here or email me at maloneandbrittanyadopt@gmail.com. Hopefully we can be of some help in your journey to your child!

Baby K's Bouncy Chair

So the first time we tried out the bouncy chair, K HATED it. She only took it for about one minute. But then we put the batteries in it and tried it out with the vibration setting. Now she LOVES it! So I decided to take a video of how she kicks her legs and shakes her hands around when she's in the chair. Sorry that it's sideways, I can't figure out how to rotate it.

Back on the Air

Well, I've decided to try going public again because too many of my readers were having trouble reading the blog. Hopefully I'll do better about posting now!

Wow

Holy moly, where has the time gone? My baby is going to be a month old on Saturday and it's been almost that long since my last blog post. But things are going well at our house. We are just loving every minute of having her in our family. Here are some photos of our baby over the past month.

She's Here!!!

Our precious baby girl has finally arrived! She was born April 1st. She weighed 6 lbs 12 oz and measured 18 in long. We are so thankful she is a part of our family and are so indescribably in love with her. More to come later!

38 weeks

Phew! We are at 38 weeks, a place we never actually expected to reach. But we figure the extra incubation time is probably good for the baby anyway. Hopefully (fingers crossed) this is the last weekly picture update though! Cause we know you all would rather see pictures of the baby anyway. :)

37 weeks

I am officially full term today! We are so anxious for this little girl to come, we can hardly contain ourselves! We have our bags packed and we're pretty well ready to walk out the door at a moment's notice. Now the difficult thing is to occupy myself while I wait. If you know me you know how impatient I am. The wait to go into labor is just about killing me. Being incredibly uncomfortable sure doesn't help either! But I know she will be worth it so it's tolerable.

36 weeks

Well, here we are! 36 weeks! Today we hit our very last milestone before our baby could be born. We now get to join the "any day now" club! This week my doctor removed the cerclage. It hurt like crazy but at least it didn't take her very long. She showed us the surgical string they used to stitch the cervix shut which was kind of interesting. It looks sort of like a thick, bright blue, dental floss. Anyway, after she removed the stitches she examined me and said I was dilated 1 cm and 80% effaced. Bummer. We were sort of hoping I would be at least 2 or 3 cm. Oh well, I guess this just means that our baby has a bit longer to fatten up before we meet her. The really good thing now is that I have been released from bed rest! Malone and I have been going for walks, and it feels so nice to be independent again. But we are so excited for our little girl to come. Of course, being excited and nervous and anxious just makes it feel like time is going by slower.

35 weeks

Well, this week I have been sick, sick, SICK. I managed to catch a cold and I just can't seem to shake it. It makes all the pregnancy symptoms extra uncomfortable. Good thing we're almost at the end right? Anyway, here's a picture. Please ignore my puffy puffy face, my stretchy pants, and red nose.

Our Friends

Last summer Malone and I were able to attend a conference about adoption. While we were there we met some really great people. Two of these people are Savannah and Josh. They have been hoping to have children for a very long time. They've tried to conceive on their own and they've tried to adopt. Last fall they were selected by a birthmom. Just today I found out that their birthmom has backed out on them. My heart breaks every time I hear of a situation like this. Although we respect that only a birthmom has the right to make a decision about placing her child, we also understand how horrible it is to be the couple who gets the short end of the stick. Anyhow, the purpose of this post is not to bemoan our past experiences. We have grieved and moved on. However, moving on from such an experience isn't easy, and I'm sure Savannah and Josh are really in need of extra prayers right now. So please pray for them. I know they're not sure exactly what they will plan to do now. So maybe the best thing would be if we pray for them to find the solace they need and be led to the path which will be best for their family. Thanks in advance!

34 weeks

Here we are at 34 weeks! Hooray! This week I had an appointment with my doctor. I had a non-stress test and an "unofficial" ultrasound to measure the levels of amniotic fluid surrounding the baby. Everything looked great!

My next appointment is next week. I will be having another non-stress test, an ultrasound to measure the baby's growth, and an appointment with the doctor. I didn't think we were going to have any more ultrasounds, but I guess the doctor proved me a liar. She also allowed us to go ahead and schedule the cerclage removal. That will happen the next week. And then I guess we'll see where things go from there! The doctor says I could go into labor immediately but it's also possible that it can take a few days or so. All I know is, we are so SO excited to finally get to hold our miracle baby in our arms!!!

33 weeks

This week has been a fairly busy one in our neck of the woods. We had a doctor's appointment and the baby measured at 4 lbs 11 oz. YAY! She's right on target and weighs almost as much as my baby brothers weighed COMBINED when they were born 21-ish years ago. My blood glucose levels have been so so. For the most part I've been able to keep my after meal levels all within the target range established by my dietician. The fasting glucose levels have been a bit trickier though and there just isn't much to do for that but go on medication. So this week I started on the lowest dosage of the medicine they prescribe to gestational diabetics and so far it seems to be doing a pretty good job of helping me keep things within the right ranges.

From here on out, I will be seeing my doctor every week. Because of the medication I am on, they will be keeping a little bit closer eye on the baby. So, when I go in for my appointments I will have to be hooked up to the non-stress test for about 20 minutes before I see the doctor. But we don't have to have any more ultrasounds! Hooray! And hopefully this week I'll be able to convince the doctor to schedule the removal of my cerclage. I guess we'll just have to see if she will be ameniable to that idea.

This week we've also been having family visit from England. It's been really fun and crazy to have them here! My sister-in-law threw me a baby shower yesterday which turned out great! For those who were able to come, thank you so much for making the day so special for me.

32 weeks

Now this is cause for celebration! I am now 32 weeks along in this pregnancy. This means that the baby will be able to be born and cared for at our local hospital. Hooray!!! We can't believe that we only have 4 weeks until they take out the cerclage and we will finally get to be parents. We know that we have only been able to get this far by the grace of Heavenly Father. We are so thankful to Him and to all of you for your ceaseless prayers on our behalf.

31 weeks

Today I am 31 weeks along, and it's my birthday! It's been a great day. And now we're only 1 week away from what we like to call "magic week" in our house. It's magic because if I can make it to 32 weeks before I deliver then I can deliver at my local hospital with my regular OB as the "catcher."

This week the baby seems to be having quite the growth spurt! She is now big enough to really get some good kicks in to my ribs, and when she moves it looks like she's making my belly do the wave. We are having so much fun together! And as you can see, I really look like I've exploded. Apparently my goofy brothers think they're pregnant too, because they really wanted to get a picture of their bellies in the mix.

We are currently working on getting everything ready for the baby. I can't believe we're only 5 weeks away from the cerclage coming out! The doctor did advise us this week that there is a VERY small chance that once the cerclage comes out my cervix will stay shut because it's been trained to do so. However, this is highly unlikely, so we're really looking forward to the prospect of bringing our precious baby girl home in about 5 1/2 weeks. We picked out a going home outfit for her which we think is pretty adorable. What do you all think?

30 weeks

Today we are 30 weeks into this pregnancy! It feels so good to be out of the 20's! Now she is getting big enough that I'm really beginning to feel uncomfortable. My back has been hurting more, I'm barely getting any sleep at night, and the heartburn is barely tolerable with an enormous amount of Tums. But, it's also been really fun to feel her kicking bigger and doing flip-flops in my belly. Malone has even been able to play with her a bit. When he pokes my belly she pokes back. But one of my favorite things to do is to watch how his voice calms her. For example, every once in a while when she's kicking up a storm Malone will lean over and start talking to her or singing to her. It puts her right to sleep. It's so endearing to see how much she already loves her Daddy.

Going Private

Well friends and family, the time has come for our little family's blog to go private. If you would like an invitation to our blog please send me your email address at buildingoureternalfamily@gmail.com. Please have your requests to me in the next 3 weeks. Thank you!

I'm on steroids!

So this morning was my first steroid injection. First of all I had to go to the Labor and Delivery floor of the hospital to have it administered by a nurse. I was under the impression that they would just hit me with the shot and I'd be on my way. Boy was I wrong.

I actually had to be admitted to the hospital, given my own room, and then the baby had to be monitored for two hours. She wasn't really happy about that. She kept kicking the monitor and then moving away from it. So poor Malone had to sit there the entire time chasing her with the monitor while the nurse filled out all the paperwork.

After laying propped on my side for two hours they finally gave me the injection. Holy Hades it hurt! But I survived. Tomorrow I go in for the second injection. The nurse reassured me that it shouldn't be such a complicated process this time. Wednesday I go in for the 3 hour glucose tolerance test. I can already tell you that I'm going to be very tired of being poked and prodded by the time this week is over. This little girl is so worth it though!!! As my dad so eloquently put it, "Well, she might come out looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger, but she should be ok and that's what matters."

Week 29

Hello all! Today I am 29 weeks along! YAY! This week I feel like the baby must have had a growth spurt because I am HUGE. Seriously, I feel sort of like I'm exploding in slow motion. And she has been so active! Today I sat and watched my belly shift around for a solid 5 minutes or so. Next time I'll have to record it because Malone was pretty bummed that he missed it. It's so surreal but it could probably keep me entertained for hours! Anyway, here's today's picture.
Please forgive the jammies and the lazy hair.

I have the best husband EVER

First things first. My doctor's office called this morning. They got the results back from my blood tests that were taken on Tuesday. (I love how efficient they are! They originally thought it would take a week to hear back!) Unfortunately the results weren't great. My glucose test came back high. So, now I go into the hospital for the even suckier glucose test. No fun. But I guess given my family's history of diabetes, I can't be too shocked. The test result that did surprise me was my iron. Apparently my iron levels are low. Hmmm... that's never happened before. I'm taking a prenatal vitamin every day. But they aren't super low, just a little bit. So they said just to take a daily iron suppliment.

So last night Malone and I attended our 3rd birthing class. Don't worry, it was allowed. I took it really easy and the class was at the hospital.

At this class we took a "tour" (some areas we just got to look through windows because of germs) of the hospital's NICU, the Labor and Delivery floor, and the floor where they keep the moms and new babies. It was really reassuring to be able to see how well-equipped the NICU is. Right now the NICU is staffed to care for newborns as early as 32 weeks. However, they have the equipment and facilities to care for newborns even earlier. They just have to hire the staff to do it. So, according to our birth instructor the hospital is currently working on hiring said staff after which the NICU will be considered a Level III. (I know, that doesn't make sense to a lot of you, but that's ok. Just know that it's a very good thing.) What does that mean for us? Well, I know some of you have been asking if we'll ever consider having another biological child. Truthfully, we don't know yet. But, it is good to know that if we do decide to get pregnant again and we're still in this area, chances are good that this hospital will be well-prepared for me and my faulty cervix.

Anyway, that's probably pretty boring to most of you, so let me get to the good part. While we were taking our tour our birthing instructor had all the dads take a turn wearing a "sympathy belly." It weighs about 30 pounds and is supposed to give the wearer an idea of what it's like to carry around all that excess weight. Well, if you know my husband, you know that he's kind of a quiet, reserved man. Especially around people he doesn't know very well. I knew this was exactly the type of situation he avoids like the plague. But he was such a good sport! He took it all in stride and strapped on the belly and the "boobs." He was even the first man to take a turn.
Want to hear something even better? I happened to have my camera on me!!! This picture really puts a smile on my face. I just love this man!!!

By a Thread

Well, the news today from the doctor wasn't exactly great, but it wasn't really unexpected either. To put it simply, my cervix is hanging on by a thread. Literally.

At the first ultrasound, my cervix measured 5 cm thick, at the 2nd it was at about 4 cm. Today it is almost completely non-existant up to the stitch. Interpretation: the only thing keeping me out of the delivery room is the 36 stitch cerclage.

The jury is still out about whether or not I am to be ordered on full-time bedrest. Apparently there seems to be some debate as to whether or not increasing the bedrest would actually do any good. The jury is also out about the gestational diabetes test. Results for that should be in in about a week.

The good news? Our baby girl is right on target as far as development. In fact, she's actually measuring 1 day ahead of schedule. The ultrasound technician estimates that she is currently weighing in at about 2 lbs 8 oz. Also, on the ultrasound the cerclage is looking really good. Apparently it's "in a really good place and holding strong." (Ultrasound lady's words, not mine.)

So, the question that I keep getting is, "what now?" Well, from now on I will be having ultrasounds every 2 weeks to make sure my cervix isn't about to tear itself away from the stitches. (Can we say OUCH?) We are also directed to be kick counting and on the lookout for any signs of pre-term labor or signs of the aforementioned cervix tearing.

I also have an appointment on Monday to get a shot of steroids. 24 hours after that, I will go in for a second hit. The hope is that the steroids will accelerate the baby's lung and organ development. These two doses of steroids can be beneficial up to 4 weeks after administration. This is a "just in case" precaution. You know, like, just in case my body decides to go crazy and defy the cerclage. I keep telling my uterus to remember how bad it was last time it pulled one of its fits. Hopefully if I keep repeating "magnesium sulfate" (the torture medication the doctor uses to stop or slow preterm labor) often enough, I should scare my body into obedience.

My doctor has set the new goal for 32 weeks. If I can make it to 32 weeks, then my local hospital's NICU will be equipped to take care of the baby. However, if I go into unstoppable labor prior to that mark, then my doctor will send me by ambulance to a hospital about an hour from here. I'm nervous about that possibility, but at least I know someone who works in respiratory therapy at that hospital, so that helps.

So long story short... keep your fingers crossed for us at least the next 3 1/2 weeks.

Also, I've had several people ask about our baby registry. I pretty much finished it, so for those of you who are interested in it, you can find it HERE. Thank you all for your prayers and support. We really do appreciate it and we know it's making a difference.

TWENTY-EIGHT!!!

When I was in the hospital in labor with Gavin we were told by a neonatologist that babies born at 28 weeks are "easy." (Compared to 24 weekers anyway.) So, from then on 28 weeks became one of those "milestones" in our minds. Well, here we are! 28 weeks! The next milestone in this pregnancy is the 36 week mark when the doctor will remove the cerclage. That's only 8 weeks away! We are so excited.

This coming Tuesday is my next doctor's appointment. I'll have an ultrasound to examine my cervix, take the glucose tolerance test, and then have a consultation with the doctor. It will be interesting to see if my cervix has thinned any more. At my last ultrasound appointment it had thinned by about a centimeter. I am extremely lucky not to have been put on full-time bedrest so far. So here's keeping our fingers crossed that my luck holds out!!!

YAY for 27!!!

Today I am 27 weeks along. My third trimester officially starts this week. How weird is that? Even better, I now only have 9 weeks left until the doctor removes my cerclage. And chances are very good that this little girl will be born as soon as those stitches are out.

WHOA.

We are starting to allow ourselves to really feel the excitement. This past Wednesday we attended our first of four birthing classes. It was really nice of the instructor to teach Malone how to give me massages. Totally worth the fee just for that! But when we practiced the meditation technique she showed us, the baby started kicking and I had a hard time not giggling. Oops! Next week we "get" to watch the terrifying birthing videos. And the 3rd week we take a tour of the new Women and Newborns section of the hospital.

This coming week our project at home is to go through all the baby items we have and start getting the nursery ready. That means I have to face my minor dilemma. We aren't allowed to paint the walls because we're renting. They have to stay white. So how should I decorate? Any suggestions?

26

Happy 2010 everyone! We are excited to ring in this new year and be done with all the drama of 2009. We are so looking forward to what this year has to bring. And I want you all to take notice: According to our countdown in our right side bar, we now have less than 100 days until my due date! And now that I'm 26 weeks that means we only have 10 more weeks until my cerclage is removed. Wahoo!