The final countdown

Another long gap between posts, which I can only explain by saying that there hasn't been much to report! That is a good thing. I am now in my 37th week and feeling pretty good. Here's a rundown on the latest:

• J and I got away this weekend to the Eastern Shore of Maryland for one last kid-free weekend away, which was a lot of fun, very relaxing, and definitely needed. We stayed in a really cute B & B in Easton, did a lot of walking around the cute towns out there, had some good food, and just generally enjoyed each other's company.
• Friday was my last day in the office, and as of today I am working at home until the baby comes. It is a huge relief not to have to commute an hour each way into the office each day, and I can't even begin to describe my relief at not having to sit in an office chair. It was really doing a number on my back. The couch is much, much more comfortable!
• This morning we had an appointment with a pediatric urologist at Children's National Medical Center downtown. This has been on the calendar for about three weeks, and we were referred there because the baby's kidneys are enlarged (a condition called hydronephrosis). Basically, the inside area of her kidneys is enlarged, indicating that either fluid is not draining properly from the kidneys to the bladder, or there is a reflux problem causing the fluid to back up into the kidneys from the bladder. We liked the doctor we saw and felt good about his plan for her care after she is born. Basically, they will put her on preventive antibiotics as soon as she is born, since there is a risk of infection once she starts eating. Then, when she is three weeks old, we will take her back to CNMC for an ultrasound of her kidneys and another test where they'll use a catheter and an x-ray with contrast to get a good look at how fluid is moving around down there. We're not crazy about the idea of our baby having a procedure like that, but we know they know what they're doing and trust them to take good care of her. Best case scenario, she will grow out of all of this within the first few years of life, and they'll just have to monitor it regularly until that happens.
• Now that I've passed the 36 week mark, I am having twice weekly non-stress tests, to make sure that everything is still going as it should. Today was the first one. Basically, I go to the L & D unit at the hospital and get hooked up to two monitors: one that records the baby's heart rate, and another that records the frequency and intensity of contractions (yep, I'm having regular contractions!). They hook me up and I lay there and relax for 20-30 minutes, and then they call my OB and let him know the results, and he says either I can stay pregnant for another half a week, or they should check me in and baby's on her way. Today, the baby's heart rate was "normal and reactive," which means I can stay pregnant until Thursday, when they'll check it all again. It was actually kind of cool to lay there and listen to her heartbeat, and to be able to see on the monitors that the contractions are actually happening.
• My mom will be here in 12 days! She's coming two weeks before the due date, so it's all starting to feel really real and close. We can hardly wait to hold our baby girl!

That's it for now. Thanks for your continued support, and we'll keep you posted!

April Update

Wow, it has been a LONG time since I posted! Just another thing that has gotten a bit lost in the craziness that is our lives right now. Lots to report so I'll catch you up in bullets:

• In mid-February (at 16 weeks) we found out that baby Howie is actually a Howette -- we are having a little girl! I was completely convinced that we were having a boy, so the news came as quite a surprise for me, but we are thrilled. It was great fun sharing the news with friends and family, and starting to think about decorating the baby's room in a girly theme (we decided on coral and grey... more on that later).
• On March 5th we celebrated our two-year wedding anniversary! Since it was a Tuesday we had to play it pretty low-key, but we went out for a nice dinner and bought ourselves a shiny new car! Yep, we got rid of my 11-year-old Honda and bought a baby-friendly small SUV. We're loving it so far.
• Doctor's appointments have continued to go fairly well. I'm still getting an ultrasound every four weeks to keep a close eye on baby's growth and development, since I have the MTHFR mutation AND the immune issues to potentially mess things up. But so far, nothing major has come up. The perinatologist has been a bit concerned about her kidneys, which are dilated more than they're supposed to be (can indicate that the urinary system isn't functioning optimally), so we're watching that closely. If her kidneys don't measure in the normal range by our next appointment (4/30), then we'll have to be referred to a pediatric urologist -- doesn't that sound like fun?! Also, she's measuring a little bit on the big side (in the 76th percentile, and they like them to be between the 25th and 75th), so I'm on a strict diet (really no different from what I was doing before, basically just stay away from bread and refined sugar) and prescribed daily exercise. Having fears of a giant baby in July...
• The baby's room is finished being painted and has curtains! No furniture yet, we ordered the crib several weeks ago so it should be in any time. We also have a dresser that we just need to put together. Here is a little sneak peek of one corner of the room, with the feature stencil wall, and the curtains that match the coral in the stencil:

• This past weekend, we took a quick "babymoon" trip to southern California. We flew to San Diego, then drove up to LA to visit J's aunt E and uncle J and see his grandmother, T. J's dad also drove out from Prescott for the weekend. We enjoyed getting to see all those lovely Dubins, even if it was for just one night. Then we drove back down to San Diego and spent three days on Coronado Island. It was soooo wonderful to just relax, sleep in, not be on a schedule, etc. I could use more time like that! We enjoyed some great food, did LOTS of walking, had a close encounter with a silverback gorilla at the San Diego zoo, and got a ton of extra sleep. It was hard to come home! Here are a couple of fun photos from the trip...

Here I am, 26 weeks pregnant exactly, at Seaport Village in San Diego.

On a "Seal Tour" (like a Duck Tour) in the San Diego Bay

• We started our childbirth education class at the hospital where we'll be delivering. So far it's been pretty informative. We are lucky that our doula, Kaitlyn, is actually teaching the class. Last night was class #2 and we learned all about the process of natural birth... in GREAT detail. Nothing I didn't know on some level, but it's kind of overwhelming to hear it all at once like that and know that it's really going to happen to you in just three short months.
• Next up: J's mom is visiting us this weekend, then next weekend we'll be up in NYC to visit the Wards. Sunday marks the beginning of the third trimester -- can't believe it!

Second Trimester!

Today feels like a HUGE milestone... as of today, I am in my second trimester! Obviously, I've never gotten anywhere close to this far along before, and even for normal pregnancies, the end of the first trimester marks the end of the period in which miscarriage is a significant threat. Dr. Braverman has told us many times that immune-related loss can happen anywhere up to 12 weeks, so the fact that we've made it to 12 weeks means we're officially out of the woods! It feels so, so good to be here and to be able to relax a little bit about whether or not Howie is going to stick around.

Lots is happening this week. First, we are having our first trimester screening test on Tuesday. This is a non-invasive test that can be done anywhere from 11 to 13 weeks. It combines a maternal blood test and ultrasound to screen for chromosomal abnormalities. We should have the results from that in about a week.

Second, we are waiting on what should be our last immune blood panel from Dr. Braverman. The blood was drawn the day after Christmas, but with the New Year's holiday in there, the results are taking a bit longer than usual. Depending on how things look, I may or may not have to have another IVIG treatment.

Finally, because my regular ob/gyn doesn't deliver anymore, she refers pregnant patients after they finish their first trimesters. So, on Friday I will have my last appointment with her before I head off to my new doctor. I am really sad to leave Dr. K, but am feeling pretty good about the new guy, Dr. A. He has a special interest in high-risk pregnancies and is willing to collaborate with Dr. Braverman, which of course was one of my main requirements in a new doc. He also delivers at the Inova Loudoun Birthing Inn, which is supposed to be a super awesome place to deliver. So, fingers crossed that we continue to like him. I have my "New OB" appointment with him on Friday.

That's about it for now. We are looking forward to a 2nd Trimester celebratory dinner on Tuesday at Fogo de Chao (AMAZING Brazilian steakhouse in DC... if I'm gonna eat meat, I'm gonna eat GOOD meat!) and getting back into the groove of home and work after two weeks of visitors and travel. Thanks, as always, for your continued support!