We are having a couple family members over for the Packer game tonight. Peter is working late on my Explorer (trouble w/ the transmission) but he thinks he will be done in time to watch the game. Let’s hope they win tonight! Sawyer is all set w/ his new Aaron Rodgers Packer jersey (a gift from his Auntie Katie).
I think I might be getting a cold. Sawyer came down w/ one on Tuesday and now I’m feeling very sneezy and stuffy w/ a sore throat. Sawyer’s cold didn’t seem too bad so hopefully it won’t damper our vacation. Peter and I both took this next week off of work. We will be spending Sunday through Wednesday in Door County and then the rest of the week we will be doing day-to-day stuff w/ Sawyer (maybe the Milwaukee Zoo, Bay Beach, etc.)
Sawyer got a very nice birthday present in the mail yesterday. It is a child’s size flip open Thomas the Train sofa. He loves being “folded up” in the sofa. He thinks it is so funny. He also likes to sit on it while he reads his books. It came at just the perfect time, too. We plan to bring the sofa to my sister’s house so Sawyer can sleep on it when he spends the next few nights. My sister was concerned because she didn’t have a bed for him. I think he will really like sleeping on his new Thomas sofa. Many thanks to Jordan and Aubrey for sending such a nice gift!
Thomas Flip Open Sofa
I cancled my ultra sound and blood work to find out of the baby has down syndrome. Apparently, this is a very specialized procedure and very uncommon for pregnant women to have. I guess I misunderstood the doctor because I was under the impression that it was very common (but new) and most women had it done.
Here’s my 13 week belly pic.
13 Weeks
I decided to not have that test done with either of my pregnancies. Although, it would be nice to know ahead of time to prepare for if there were any complications my doctor said that there is a very small chance that having the test done actually can hurt the baby…
BTW, how have you been feeling lately? Are you able to expand you diet beyond sandwiches yet? =)
Kelley – I’ve been eating a lot lately. The only foods I’ve been staying away from are fresh veggies . . . they give me really bad heartburn.
I am starting to feel a little bit better . . . I feel worse when I’m hungry so I graze all day long. I’m still preferring my carbs, though. I’m hardly eating any chocolate which is unusual for me.
Oreas seem to be the cure for those of us who are pregnant and even for those of us who aren’t pregnant. Even if you can’t eat the chocolate cookie part, you can still eat the creamy filling
I’m out of Oreaos, so I’m going to have to go pick some more up.
With that test, it may be more common for those who are older and have more of a risk of having a baby with down syndrom. But I think they’re trying t get the test to be more well known to everyone. So maybe, in the near future, more women of all ages will get the test done, and it will be considered more common then. I think the test is so new yet, that not enough people know about it to make it a common test.
To find out ahead of time if your baby will have down syndrom, would be helpful in being prepared. But I didn’t know about the possible risk it could have in hurting the baby if you had it done, like Kelley said in her comment. That’s good to know.
Football season already? That came up quick! It’ll be interesting when the Packers play against the Jets, now that Favre has been traded.
Sawer got a great gift. Those 1 and 2 year old cousins send the greatest gifts, don’t they?
The test is just an ultra sound and blood work (they just draw blood from my arm . . . the usual). No harm to the baby at all.
Oh, that test must have been a different one than I was thinking of. My doctor said that to take the test for birth defects they would have to take a sample of spinal fluid from the baby. She said that this test would have a small change of causing damage to the baby. She also made it sound like it was a very common test but she didn’t recommend or not recommend it to me, just let me know it was available. She did this for both of my pregnancies.
Sorry, the test measures the thickness at the back of the neck of the baby to determine if he/she had Down Syndrome (not the spinal fluid itself). That is, for this specific test that was offered to me, not yours.
My doctor told me the same thing Kelley’s doctor told her.
I guess I am behind on your blogs AGAIN(!) Sigh… my RSS url for your site might not be right, so I have to check it again to see why your site don’t update on my RSS feeds.
Anyway, Jordan and Aubrey says “you’re welcome” for the gift. I’m glad Sawyer liked his new kid-sized sofa.
Speaking of the test, I didn’t have that test done either (on both my babies). My doctor said the same thing as Kelley’s and Kim’s. (Oh, wait… Kelley and I have the same Doctor
) I think when I went in for my ultrasound, the ultrasound technician did check the baby for down syndrome (the thickness on the base of the neck) and cleft lip (upper palate).
Okay, I think the tests being mentioned here are misunderstood. I think Amy is talking about the AFP (Alpha-fetoprotein Screening) test. This is the test that they just draw blood from you and non-harmful or intrusive to the baby. It checks for abnormal AFP levels in mom that would indicate for spinal cord defects, presence of twins, miscalculated due date, or increased risk of down syndrome.
While what Kelley and Kim are discussing are the other 2 tests, Amniocentesis (done at 16 weeks), and the Chorionic Villi Sampling (CVS), performed between 10 and 12 weeks. These tests are the ones that have more risk to the baby because it is intrusive. Both tests require extracting fluid / cells (chorionic villi) from the womb using a long needle inserted in mom’s abdomen/womb. Both tests, check for birth defects.
Hope this clears up everything now
I would never do the test (unless absolutely necessary) where they stick a long needle into my abdomen and then draw fluid from the baby. That sounds really risky and painful.