November Highlights

What an amazing month it's been! Just to recap, we found out that not only are we having a healthy baby, but it's a boy! God is so good!

I'm starting to feel Chase move around more, and I'm definitely starting to look more pregnant by the day. You can see my belly poking out and scrunched up in the picture with me sitting in the lounge chair; surprisingly, those are still my normal jeans (thank God for low-rise jeans!). I'm still in normal pants and can button them without any problem, but I'm having to switch to larger shirts. On Thanksgiving morning, Tim felt Chase move for the first time. I told him to put his hand on my belly just in time for him to feel Chase scrape his feet and legs across my belly....he must have been doing gymnastics that morning!

My parents, Tim, and I went down to Nags Head last weekend. It was cold down there, but still a nice get-away. Mom and I did some shopping and had fun "ooohing and aaaahing" over all of the baby clothes. We had fun just lounging around the cottage too (the pictures are of us in the lounge chairs on the porch of the cottage).

We had a nice Thanksgiving....spent Thursday with Tim's family and Friday with mine. We have so much to be thankful for. Today, we're going to get our Christmas tree and decorate the house. I'm sure it will be an exciting Christmas season for the "3 of us" (well, "4 of us" counting Dexter).

"B" is for......

"B" is for Blessing....a baby is such a blessing from God.
"B" is for Beautiful....a baby is one of God's many beautiful creations.
"B" is for Breeden....I'm thankful God gave me my husband so that I can be a Breeden and we can breed little Breedens together (ha, ha!).
"B" is for Butterflies....I'm starting to feel movement in my belly; it feels like butterflies fluttering around (what an incredible feeling!).
"B" is for Blue....bring on the blue, because IT'S A BOY!!!!

Praise God, my doctor's appointment at EVMS went really well today. The doctors (who were the same folks who dealt with Connor when we found out he had spina bifida) had nothing but wonderful news for us today! My ultrasound lasted for about an hour. The EVMS ultrasound tech had a very thorough look at the baby; she took measurements of just about every part of the baby's body, including the head, spine, legs, arms, heart, kidneys, etc. Everything looked normal and healthy! Plus, Tim and I got to find out that we are having a baby boy!

We have already picked out a name for our little one: Chase Luke Breeden. "Chase" is of English and Old French origin; it means "huntsman." We hope our "Chase" will be a hunter for Christ as he faces the world. "Luke" is of Greek origin; most of you already know that Luke was a first-century Christian who was often referred to as the "beloved physician." Luke wrote one of the four Gospel accounts of the life of Christ. Something else that Tim and I realized when picking out this name is that Chase will have the same initials as his big brother in Heaven, Connor Liam Breeden. On a lighter note, Chase is already living up to his name because he was wiggling all around during the ultrasound and "chasing" the ultrasound probe. He kept looking up at the probe like, "What is going on out there? Why does this thing keep on poking at me?"

With all of that said, we are thrilled to announce that Chase is a healthy boy who is due to make his debut into the world on April 22nd, 2009. This will be the first boy on the Sneed side of the family! We ask for all of you to continue to lift this precious little boy up in your prayers as we all journey through these next few months together.

My next doctor's appointment is back with my regular OB/GYN (Dr. O'Connell & Dr. Yonker) on December 10th for my 5 month check-up. I'll keep you posted on how things go then!

Giving Thanks

My last posting was right after Halloween, and here we are just a couple weeks away from Thanksgiving. Tim and I have so much to be thankful for right now.....today, we found out that the results from the quad screening are NORMAL!!! Praise God!!! This means that we have a HEALTHY baby! I had faith that everything would be ok with this baby long before finding out the quad screening results, but the human side of me still worried as Tim and I anxiously waited to hear the results. I feel so blessed and relieved to know that everything is ok after a long week of waiting.

The posted pictures were taken today, which puts me at 17 weeks. We saw Dr. O'Connell today for my 4-month check-up. She told us the great news that the test results were normal and we got to listen to the baby's heartbeat; it was beating in the 150-range. I had my blood pressure and weight checked. Much to my surprise, I had only gained 2 pounds since the first trimester......so, we fixed that by going to El Burrito (a Mexican restaurant on the way home to Smithfield) after our doctor's appt.

Next Tuesday, I go to EVMS at Riverside Hospital for an ultrasound. Since the quad screening results are normal, Tim and I won't have to go through genetic counseling like we did with the last pregnancy. This should be a FUN visit that should further confirm that we have a healthy baby. Plus, we should be able to confirm the sex of the baby at that time.....we're still thinking boy, but Tuesday will reveal the official results......stay tuned!

15-1/2 Weeks Along on Halloween

Here Tim and I are in front of our house on Halloween. You can't really see just how much my belly is starting to poke out in this picture, but I can assure you it's there! Wow....here we are in November already! Tim and I had a nice, relaxing Halloween night. I carved our pumpkin Thursday night and last night we handed out candy to about 30 trick-or-treaters. Once 8:00 rolled around, the porch light was off and I was asleep on the couch by 9:00....I'm not much of a night owl these days; however, I do feel more energetic than I did in the first trimester. Plus, the nausea is gradually starting to go away....yay! Baby is steadily growing and is around 5" long right now. I go for the quad screening this Wednesday, Nov. 5th. I probably won't get the test results until about a week after, so I'm trying to keep the faith and not get overly anxious during these next few weeks. Your prayers are very much appreciated for a healthy baby and a sane mommy during these next few weeks!

A Little Scare

Tim and I had a little bit of a scare over the weekend......and, it had nothing to do with Halloween being around the corner (LOL). I started spotting (bleeding) a little bit Saturday night. It turns out that it was just a busted blood vessal around my cervix. We went to the doctor's office today, and they confirmed that everything was fine with the baby. I can go back to work tomorrow, but I'm not supposed to exercise or do anything strenuous for the next few days.

On a brighter note, it was fun getting to have another ultrasound done. Tim scanned a 3D picture and he circled the area that he thinks resembles the budding of a baby boy.....I'm not sure if that really is what he thinks it is, but it's fun to speculate. The heartbeat was in the 150's this time, which tends to represent a boy; and, the ultrasound technician also said that she thinks it's a boy based on everything she could see from the ultrasound, but she didn't want to confirm it just yet since the sexual organs are still developing in this stage. We should know for sure in another month! More importantly, everything seems healthy so far! Regardless of the gender, it's a huge blessing just to have a healthy baby right now. So far, all of the ultrasound shots have revealed a smooth, complete spine and a perfectly sized head (no swelling or lemon-shaped characteristics). These are all great signs in contrast to the spina bifida characterisitcs that existed in our last baby....PRAISE GOD!

On a funny note, one of the pics from the ultrasound showed a little hand up by the baby's face and it looks like the middle finger is pointing up.....can you believe our baby is flipping us the bird?!!! We're going to have some major manners to teach! HA, HA!

I'm thankful our little scare turned into a few laughs.....God is good!

Goodbye First Trimester!

Here I am at 13 weeks! I'm looking more pregnant by the day! I look and feel pretty much the same as I did during my last pregnancy at this point. I'm still having bouts of nausea, but I'm hanging in here. Fortunately, I'm still able to function at work and take my 30-minute walks during my lunch breaks. I'm also trying to maintain doing yoga once or twice a week. I think the exercise actually gives me more energy and makes me feel better in the long run. My diet is so-so....sometimes the most appealing foods to me aren't the healthiest ones; but at this point, I'm eating what I can tolerate in hopes of conquering the nausea. I've gained 3 pounds so far, which is good for the first trimester, especially considering the nausea. I have a major sweet tooth on most days! I was like that during my last pregnancy too. Those poor trick-or-treaters aren't going to have any candy left if I keep getting cravings for sweets (ha, ha).

We got to hear Baby Breeden's heartbeat today. All that came out of this doctor's visit was getting to hear the heartbeat (no ultrasounds or lab work), but that made the visit completely worthwhile! The heartbeat was measured at 168 (I believe that means 168 beats per minute). According to old wives tales, the more rapid heartbeat usually means a girl. If you're rooting for a girl, don't get too excited because our baby BOY's heartbeat the last time was in the upper 160's. In fact, so far everything in this pregnancy has mirrored the last one with the way I feel; the way I'm carrying the baby so far; the cravings I'm having; the baby's heartbeat; the sore boobs (yes, they're sore now...they weren't during the first few weeks, but it all caught up with me...if only a guy knew what it was like to carry around two sore watermelons all day long...they may not be as big as watermelons, but sometimes they feel as heavy!); etc. The only thing that I truly hope and pray does NOT mirror the last pregnancy is the baby having spina bifida.

Speaking of spina bifida, I go to the lab on Nov. 5th for my quad screening. As you all know, the quad screening will reveal if there are any signs of spina bifida or other birth defects. I believe from the depths of my heart that everything will be fine this time around. Nonetheless, it will still be a relief to receive final confirmation that everything is ok. I have a routine check-up with Dr. O'Connell at my OB/GYN's office on Nov. 13th followed by genetic counseling and a thorough ultrasound at Riverside Hospital on Nov. 18th. I'm hoping there won't be any reason for genetic counseling this time around, but Dr. Yonker and Dr. O'Connell still want Tim and I to have the genetic counseling as a means to ask any questions we may have at that time and discuss the results of the quad screening (even if the results reveal that there isn't spina bifida). On the other hand, the positive side to me going to Riverside is that their equipment is way better and Tim and I will see a good view of the baby through an ultrasound at that time. We should know the sex of the baby on Nov. 18th....that's just a month away! Can't wait!

Thanks for reading yet another lengthy blog posting from yours truly. If you remember anything from all of my ramblings today, please remember to lift up a prayer (or several prayers) in the month of November when I undergo all of the screenings to receive the final news on this baby's health. I don't want to sound down-trotted in my faith, but I honestly can't imagine going through another heartache like what we went through before....it was such a nightmare! I'm ready for happy news! I know I'm blessed regardless of what the future holds, so please also pray that I don't lose sight of God's grace during this uncertain time.

Until November.....Adios! Happy Halloween! I promise I won't binge on Halloween candy in spite of my cravings for sweets!

9 Weeks 2 Days

Yesterday, Tim and I went to see Dr. Yonker for a routine prenatal check-up, which included some bloodwork, a pap-smear (love those), and an ultrasound. The pap-smear was as fun as could be expected and I had about 4 tubes of blood drawn and nearly passed out afterwards. For some reason, the nurse was having a hard time getting a good vein and constant bloodflow from me. Needless to say, viewing the ultrasound was the best part. We got a sneak a peak of Baby Breeden at 9 weeks, 1 day. The baby was sleeping most of the time, but we were finally able to see him/her do a wiggle dance for a few seconds and then he/she went back to sleep....too cute! What a miracle to see that little heart flashing away on the screen. Dr. Yonker took some measurements and felt that the baby was measuring up slightly big for me to be 9weeks along. Consequently, she scheduled me for another appointment today so that an ultrasound technician could get a closer look at the baby, take more measurements, and adjust my due date if needed.

Today was the best OB visit I've ever had, and unfortunately Tim didn't get to go with me since he had to stay at work after already taking off early yesterday. The ultrasound technician did a 3D ultrasound that was awesome...great visibility and clarity! It was even done in color so that I could actually see the color of the baby's skin. This is the best part: I got a clear look at the baby's spine and the ultrasound tech said that she doesn't see any areas of concern at this point. She said that based on her many years of experience, she can usually tell if there is some sort of problem by the 3D ultrasounds even this early along in a pregnancy. She pointed out the complete curvature of the spine and said that she couldn't see any openings. Of course, this isn't confirmation that everything is perfectly fine, but it does give me a great amount of peace. I don't feel quite as nervous about the quad screening anymore. The baby didn't seem too big to the ultrasound tech, so my due date remains the same: April 22nd! The baby waved at me today during the 3D ultrasound...."Hi Mom!"

What next? My next appointment will be in October at the end of the first trimester (yay--hopefully no more nausea by then) and I'll get to hear the heartbeat at that point. Then, the appointment after that should be my quad screening. Things are moving along and God is in control! Enjoy the pics of my 2 month baby bump (one of the pictures is funny because you can see smoke coming from the firepit in the background, but it looks like it's coming from my head, ha, ha!).