Pregnant and Traveling Again!!!

I never got the chance to tell you that we are heading out of town again. I am on my third trip of this pregnancy.........let me just say that again......my third trip of this pregnancy. I once wondered if I would ever get to say I was on a trip while I was pregnant. Now look at me!

We are spending the 4th of July in the mountains! We are visiting my aunt, uncle and grandma who live in a beautiful house right in the gorgeous, magnificent Rockie Mountains. I'm so excited. The bonus is that my whole family (parents & all my siblings) will be there too!

We are actually half way there. Today we flew to Chicago and are staying the night with Seth's parents; tomorrow we will fly to Denver. Jericho did great, even with no nap, she's become an expert traveler both driving and flying, of this I am eternally grateful.

Seth's parents are coming to visit us when we get back for 5 days (Seth's birthday is a week from Monday) So, I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to holla at ya again. I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July as you celebrate your freedom and this beautiful nation we live in.

Someone asked if we are planning on keeping the baby's name a secret like last time and YES we are. We've never told names till baby was here and are going to keep it that way. We take suggestions so if you got any I'd love to hear them. If this baby is a boy we are pretty sure we have a first name but still need a middle name. If it's a girl we are at a total loss for names thus far. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

The Details - This Pregnancy

We found out I was pregnant for Jericho when I was 4 weeks along. I was put on progesterone and bed rest immediately. At 13 weeks I went off the progesterone and at 6 months they told me I no longer had to be on bed rest. I had no sign of any problems. Went full term. Had a beautiful, healthy baby girl. Praise the Lord! It seemed that what the doctors had me do worked. So, the plan was to repeat this process (progesterone for 13 weeks, bed rest for 6 months) for every pregnancy that followed.

Seth and I knew that if bed rest could be avoided for any future pregnancies we wanted to avoid it. So the day after Jericho was born (okay maybe not that soon but we didn't wait long) we started praying for our next pregnancy. The was we saw it we could not, not take the doctors advice and just tell them we weren't going on bed rest. Well, we could, but we weren't going to. After losing 2 babies we felt not following the doctors orders wasn't worth the risk of possibly losing another child. So just saying no to bed rest, simply because we didn't want me to be on it, was not an option for us. After deciding that we were going to follow the doctors order how was I going to off bed rest? That was the question we were asking ourselves. This is what we came up with.....we figured if we didn't know I was pregnant for the first trimester (12 weeks) maybe I would never have to go on bed rest to begin with. Not knowing when I was pregnant seemed like the only way around bed rest. So, we started praying that we would not find out that I was pregnant till I was 11 or 12 weeks along. We started praying for a miracle.

The other thing we stated praying for was that my progesterone levels would be above 30. My levels had always been below 25. My doctors said that above 25 they were happy with, above 30 was good, but between 5-25 was an unknown area and many women tended to lose the baby if their levels were in that area, but they weren't sure why. When I was put on progesterone for Jericho I was at 31 and the doc was happy so he didn't up my dosage. I wanted to be above 30 with my next pregnancy without the help of any progesterone suppositories.

Now this may seem a little crazy to you and it is, but it also made sense. There were many times that I laughed at the thought of not knowing I was pregnant till I was almost in my 2nd trimester because with all 3 of my previous pregnancies I knew within days of getting pregnant. I would literally have to wait 2 weeks to take a pregnancy test. By the time I was 4 weeks I knew I was pregnant.

18 weeks, baby #4 Oh and I chopped my hair.
(this was taken last week because most of it was written last week, I'm now 19+ weeks)

That brings us to this baby I now carry. Back in March my sister & bro-in-law welcomed their first baby. When Sam was 2 weeks old Jericho and I went to visit. At this time Seth and I had been hoping to enlarge our family and I had high suspicious about the possibility so, before I left I took a pregnancy test just to make sure. It was negative. I was excited because this meant I could travel to meet my nephew and I didn't have to go on bed rest...yet. I was also sad because we were hoping I was pregnant and it would have helped explain things since I was feeling a little off. With the negative test results Jericho and I headed to Chicago.

After another 6 weeks went by and I really wondering if I was pregnant but with my cycle yet to return, since I was still nursing Jericho, it was a big guessing game. I was praying, for my sake, that I was pregnant because if I wasn't my growing abdomen, irritability, increased appetite and amazing ability to burst into tears at any given moment had me worried although all those things could have meant my cycle was returning as well as pregnancy possibility. We decided I should take another pregnancy test, for my our sanity, within seconds it was positive. I was pregnant.

I thought I was around 5 and a half weeks but didn't know for sure. If I was right it would put my due date on Christmas day. If I was going by the size of my stomach it look as if I could be further along. I called the doctor right away and went in for blood work that day, it was a Monday. He wanted to know where my levels were and if I would need to be on progesterone again. I was supposed to get the same blood work done two days later so they could compare and make sure that my level were going up like they should. Tuesday the doctors office called and said my levels looked great, even my progesterone which was at 34 looked awesome. The nurse said their was no need to go in for follow up blood work the next day, but they doctor wanted me to come in for an ultrasound asap. We went in Friday for an ultrasound. The tech asked how far along I was and I told her I thought 6 weeks today. I believe Seth told her that we were praying I was further along and she kind of laughed a yeah don't they all type laugh. She proceeded to put the wand on my belly and as she did she said "OH!" as I peered at the screen I smiled and said, "Oh, I'm definitely further along than 6 weeks!" Her reply was, "Yeah I'd say so." By the measurements she thought I was around 11 weeks but she'd tell us for sure when she was done and could put everything into the computer and give us a due date. As the tech was finishing up Seth and I couldn't wipe the grin off our faces. Our prayers had been answered. I was almost in my 2nd trimester and hadn't been on bed rest for even a day!

As the tech was finishing I was also wondering what that would put my due date at, yet in my heart I already knew. It was going to be November 20, Gideon's birthday. She asked if we wanted to know the due date and as we nodded as she announced November 20. Seth and I smiled and as we thought of course it's November 20, we always knew God had a way with timing.

So, our prayers were answered, all of them. We didn't find out I was pregnant till I was 11 week. I didn't have to go on bed rest. I didn't have to be on progesterone. I serve an awesome God! He is so good to me!

We have an ultrasound July 17th please be praying that everything looks good. We are planing on find out if it's a boy or girl, if the little one cooroperates but first let me know what you think we are having. I'm putting a poll in the top right hand corner. Go vote! You have till the day of the ultrasound to decide.

My Girl

Is almost TWO!
smiles all the time
is a daddy's girl through & through
loves to read
is no longer nursing
loves milk (she asks for it by sniffing really big, it's weird but cute)
wants to eat all the time
will eat just about anything
doesn't like walking in grass barefoot
loves her "Tor tor" (Aunt Tori)
can talk in sentences
still baby talks to herself
loves to sing


Is a tomboy:
loves rocks,
jumping in puddles,
& catching bugs.
would rather be outside than in any day
is thrilled when she gets to ride the mower with daddy
is obsessed with boats since we went canoeing
loves adventure

Is a girly girl:
loves bows in her hair
purses on her arm
is thrilled when she gets to wear lip gloss
has a growing obsession with her shoes
adores picking & smelling flowers
loves dancing to music

Is excited about being a BIG sister
loves "tissing" (kissing) the baby
loves giving hugs & kisses to mommy & daddy
is a big helper around the house
is getting ready to be potty trained
never stops moving
hates having her feet held while getting her diaper change
new favorite game is ring around the rosy
giggles without thought
still sleeps with her blankie and puppy
has gorgeous blue eyes
blond hair that curls just a hint at the ends
Loves her thumb
& has the most adorable smile while sucking her thumb
is the sweetest thing you'll ever meet

The Details - A Little More Background

Brietta asked if the blog clots were SCH or a Subchorionic Hematoma. And Yes, that was the medical term that the doctors used during my first 2 pregnancies. With my first pregnancy I also had partial placenta previa the combination was not good and they said my chances of miscarrying were very high. My doctor was shocked that I carried Gracie as long as I did. The SCH that I had when I was pregnant for Grace was huge, although at the time we were clueless and didn't realize how big the doctors eyes got when he saw the measurements of the SCH on the ultrasound until I got pregnant for Gideon and saw his reaction (there wasn't much of one) when he got the measurements for that SCH. I guess another hint that should have clued us in as to how big the clot was and how bad things really were was when every time I went to the doc, when I was pregnant for Grace, he told me that he couldn't believe I was still pregnant. I guess I was young, pregnant for the first time, and thrilled! Not that I dismissed all the problems I was having, but I guess in some ways I did, simply because there was nothing I could do and I didn't know any better. Once I got pregnant for Gideon and started having the same problems I realized how things worked, I knew a lot more of the medical terms, I got great at reading ultrasounds, I payed attention to measurements sizes, I wasn't afraid to ask questions and I remembered some of the things that happened when I was pregnant with Grace - it wasn't till then that I my eyes were open to how bad things really were when I was pregnant Grace and how, being pregnant for Gideon at that time, things were looking better than before but they were definitely not good.

The SCH that I had with Gideon was definitely on the bigger side of average but it was average, not huge. My doc did say, when I was pregnant for Gideon, that he hoped the SCH would dissolve by itself (I guess sometimes that actually happens) but it was unlikely because of how big it was. It obviously didn't and they are almost positive that the SCH is what caused me to go into premature labor and deliver Gideon so early.

If you missed the first part of the background details go check em out.

I think that pretty much sums up my first 2 pregnancies. I'll have to tell you about Gideon's life sometime (I mean the medical detail, miracles, everything) but that will take many more blogs some other time, for only 6 short weeks my little man sure had a big exciting life story. I hope this gives you more details as to why they want me on bed rest and why pregnancy for me is such a big thing. To me not hemorrhaging during pregnancy is a miracle. I pray I have many more miracles (well a few more we'll see about the many) like the one I'm taking part in now, a healthy pregnancy with not hemorrhaging!

Still to come Jericho's pregnancy don't worry it's nice, easy and not much to tell ye know the boring kind of pregnancy. The way I like em! And of course this baby. Now for only being 16 weeks I do have a pretty exciting story at least I think it's exciting. I would even call it a miracle! A complete answer to prayer!

Can Someone please tell me....

.....how to teach a little girl to not close her eyes every time she smile big for a picture.

Don't get me wrong. It's cute! Adorable even, but I'd love some family picture with Jericho's eyes actually open for a change!

I'm working on getting some recent picture of Jericho (preferably with her eyes open!) to show you but while visiting our family in Chicago a few weeks ago I was to busy relaxing and enjoying my family, especially niece and nephews, to take many pictures. It's a bad habit I have. I forget to take pictures when others are around, especially if they are taking pictures. Now when I'm home and it's just Jericho and I, well that's a different story, I take pictures all the time, except when I'm not blogging because then there is no story because there is no one to tell or show the pictures to. So lately my life has been picture less and it's very sad.

But I'm in luck (hopefully, please keep your fingers crossed with me) because by the end of next week (please God have mercy on me) we will have a new computer! {Insert Tarah doing a happy dance all around the room......at least until she is winded and out of breath, which doesn't take much these days thanks to her quickly growing belly}