pre-term contractions?

Ended up going in for an evaluation Monday, July 27th. Allie had cramping and achiness in the lower abdomen- we thought it was probably just growing pains, but they made us come in. Turns out it was pre term contractions. The good news is she wasn't dilated. For 48 hours she was directed to be on modified bed rest, IB profen every 6 hours, and up the water intake to 100 oz. a day. It seemed to work and we went back to the doctor for a recheck on Wednesday. As long as they don't come back Allie can resume to her normal routine. Lets hope they stay away!

Macie sure likes her presence to be known! ;)

anatomy pictures

23 weeks 4 days

Mommy & Macie Grace

The Power of Prayer

I want to thank each and everyone of you for your prayers. The power of prayer is wonderful and God is good! After 2 hours at the level 2 ultra sound we are more than ecstatic to report - there is no heart defect that he can see! It seems so surreal- I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He said sometimes on the other ultrasounds the blood colors bleed together making it look like there is a heart defect and that is why they send you to more intensive level 2 ultra sounds because you can see so much more and clearer.

Not only is there no heart defect, but he was able to rule out all other defects and now we do not have to worry about this little angel. Yes, there is a possibility of having VSD once she is born but the risk of her having it is the same as any other baby. The doctor even canceled the echo gram since he did not see anything that made him think there was a heart defect. Yay!!

Macie GRACE is 1 pound and 4 oz. She is perfect- and we also got to find out I am really 23 weeks and 2 days so my due date is moved up to November 18th. I cannot wait for our sweet angel to arrive in our arms, but for now she is an active little dancer and one heck of a strong girl!

We thank you again from the bottom of our hearts. It is the most wonderful feeling to have this support!

 

Love,

Allie, Jeremy, and Macie

Prayer Request for Macie

Well, today was our 22 week check up and we were having another ultrasound done. Last time they were not able to get good pictures of her heart and couldn't see her upper lip. Today we saw all four chambers of the heart and her cute little profile. However, she has a ventricular septal defect also known as VSD. 

Information provided by kidshealth.org

The heart has four chambers: The two lower pumping chambers of the heart are called the ventricles, and the two upper filling chambers are the atria.

In a typical healthy heart, blood that returns from the body to the right-sided filling chamber (right atrium) is low in oxygen. This blood passes to the right-sided pumping chamber (right ventricle), and then travels to the lungs to receive oxygen. The blood that has been enriched with oxygen returns to the left atrium, and then to the left ventricle. It's then pumped out to the body through the aorta, a large blood vessel that carries the blood to the smaller blood vessels in the body.

The right and left-sided pumping chambers (ventricles) are separated by shared wall, called the ventricular septum.

Kids with a VSD have an opening in this wall. As a result, when the heart beats, some of the blood in the left ventricle (which has been enriched by oxygen from the lungs) is able to flow through the hole in the septum into the right ventricle. In the right ventricle, this oxygen-rich blood mixes with the oxygen-poor blood and goes back to the lungs. The blood flowing through the hole creates an extra noise, which is known as a heart murmur. The heart murmur, can be heard when a doctor listens to the heart beat with a stethoscope.

Ventricular septal defects occur during fetal heart development and are present at birth. During the first weeks after conception, the heart develops from a large tube, dividing into sections that will eventually become the walls and chambers. If a problem occurs during this process, it can create a hole in the ventricular septum.

We are now going to have a level 2 ultra sound and we are hoping to get in by the weekend. Luckily the doctor says it is small and we should not worry too much, but how can you not?!?! It is scary, but it sounds like the worse case scenario is she would have a heart murmur, which since it is small she should still live an active, healthy life. Lets just pray for this little girl it is nothing worse. :( 

all registered!

Today we went to register with Allie's mom, Jeremy's mom, and Lindsay. It was a lot of fun for all of us but it was a lot of work and a lot of stuff to look at. It was also exciting for Allie to register with Lindsay. Before we know it, the little babies will be here! 

We picked out nursery bedding and decided on pink and green~ it's called Lady Bug Paisley and we are sure Macie will just love it! ;) Now we need to pick out some paint and get some color on the walls! 

Jeremy felt Macie move!

Last night after returning from Colorado Macie was moving around so much- Jeremy actually felt her move for the first time.....awww :)

Home, Sweet Home.......114 degrees!

Today we returned from our nice 8 day vacation through Colorado ~ what a heat shock to come home to 114 degrees! Colorado was a blast- on the way we stopped by the Four Corners! We started out in Dolores, CO at Roxanne and Mike's Cabin- we stayed one night even though, it was supposed to be 2 because we found out if you are pregnant you should be in high altitude.....an ER trip later- everything was actually fine so off to Durango we went. Durango is where the family cabin is, built by Jane and Flip, and we had a mini reunion. We had two run ins to BEARS! The first morning Rob spotted a Brown bear breaking into his cooler and making his way over to the bunk house, he got scared off but ended up returning for more the early the next morning.....scary! After white water river rafting, boating, hiking, shopping, golf, and lots of camp fire talk we went on to Pagosa Springs where Jeremy's aunt and unlce live. We had a fun two days! We ate dinner on the river, karaoked, and went to the Hot Springs! Our final destination was the Fire Side Casino in New Mexico on the way home to break up the trip. We had a blast!

Off to some cooler weather....

Tomorrow we leave for our 8 day vacation to Colorado. We will be spending the 4th of July at Jeremy's Aunt and Uncle's (Rox and Mike) cabin and then continue on our road trip to Durango where his Grandparent's cabin is located. Our last stop will be in Pagosa Springs where his Uncle Doug lives. We are looking forward to some family time and some cooler weather!! It should be a lot of fun! :) Happy 4th of July to everyone!