Marathon Mom

Bellin Run 2010

I just had to post a quick little something about how proud I am of my mom. She participated in her very first marathon this past weekend. It is great to see that she has taken on such a lot of positive changes since surviving lung cancer. It was a tough walk for her, but she finished (with a time just over two hours)... and she wasn't last!

Given the All-Clear

Xander in 3D

I am thrilled to announce that yesterday's appointments went very well. All signs of dilation are gone. In fact, one of the renal pelvises was so small that it was hard to measure. The other renal pelvis was the same as at the last ultrasound... which, when you factor in growth of the baby, means that it also shrunk down. They also did a more complete check on other places for possible concern. The palate is completely formed. The nuchal folds are normal (this is apparently a common sign of Down's). There are no spots or abnormalities on his heart. The bladder was filling and emptying properly. All fingers and toes are properly aligned and accounted for. (Ross was born with a crooked foot, so this was a concern.) They even confirmed that he is in fact a boy... and it was very obvious. Even Mom, who has a ton of difficulty reading ultrasounds, would have been able to make out that shape!

The cool part was getting some 3D pictures. It was not something we would have paid for out of pocket, but are quite thrilled to have. The majority of my family has never seen 3D ultrasounds before, so it has been quite the treat for them. Ross has been showing off the photos at work.

Enlarged Renal Pelvis

Ross and I went to our 24 week midwife appointment expecting everything to be fine and got a little bit of a shock when Jill told us that the ultrasound tech found an enlargement of the renal pelvis (in the 95th percentile). He had told us that he didn't see anything abnormal, so it was a bit unexpected to hear that there was a problem.

We were told not to worry too much because it is very common and usually resolves itself. Jill told us that she needed to send us to a perinatologist for a follow-up ultrasound. Apparently, if the condition gets bad, we would have to go with a hospital birth... which is the one thing I most wanted to avoid. She kept reassuring us not to worry because it is so common and she has seen it many times before and only two had to go with hospital births, but we all know telling us not to worry is useless!

And, silly me, I had to go and look it up online when I got home. That certainly didn't help my anxiety level! That's where I discovered that it can signal Down's Syndrome, especially if it's very large (like 95th percentile perhaps?). Dealing with a normal, healthy pregnancy has been hard enough for two people who had intended to stay child-free, so news of a possible problem just adds to the stress. We were starting to get used to the idea of a child, but this just brought us back around again. UGH! I'm trying to stay calm and positive.