A Yummy Ear of Corn!!! (Week 23)

I have to say that it is a crazy thing to be closer to having Seiden than it is to be at the beginning or nearing the middle of this pregnancy!  Cody and I were talking about how it's so insane to think that in just 17 weeks...probably sooner...we will be holding our precious baby girl.  It's truly an amazing thing knowing that in just a few short weeks she will be home with us and our lovies.  If these next 17 weeks fly by as fast as the first 23 weeks did...we'll blink and she'll be here!  And I have no doubt that these last 17 weeks will definitely fly.  It's already almost the middle of July, summer is almost over (sniff, sniff :-( ), and when school starts, I will be so busy I won't be able to see straight!  Not only will I be getting ready for school to start, but when it does, there are a million things to do in those first few weeks of school.  I'll also be preparing to have a long term sub come in for me during the weeks that I'm off for maternity leave.  So, I'll have to start thinking about where my kiddos will need to be when I come back from maternity leave at the beginning of February so that I make sure and teach them enough skills, tricks, and give them enough information so that they will be ready when the long term sub comes in.  That way they are prepared for me to come back and hit it hard in February.  It's going to be crazy...but that just means that it won't be long till our precious girl is in our arms!

And I do have a big update on Seiden and the cyst that Dr. Maberry found on June 11th.  He first found that cyst on the 11th, then we went back on the 24th to see if it had gotten smaller.  It hadn't, so he referred us to an OB/GYN in Ft. Worth that has dealt with cysts like this before.  The appointment was on July 10th, and we found out SO much more information about what is really going on as well as the steps that will be taken for delivery in much greater detail.  The cyst that she has is on her neck, very close to her esophagus and windpipe.  It is just a lymphatic cyst and is filled with fluid.  It has no blood flow to it and is not cancerous or has any other thing wrong with it that will cause her harm now in the future.  He basically described it as a structural issue.  When I asked him what causes things like this...he said, "There's a medical term for that."  I was all ears thinking...oh man...we're gonna get technical here.  Well...he just turned and looked at me, smiled, and said sh**t happens!  I just burst out laughing because, in that moment, he made me feel so comfortable with him as well as gave me extreme reassurance that this little cyst is just a tiny bump in the road for her precious little life.

There are some risks involved, of course.  But, we truly believe that the possible "worst case scenario" won't even come close to happening.  He told me that he's seen these cysts take up almost 50% of the baby's body at 23 weeks.  Which, of course, is scary news.  But, he went on to say that those babies were able to have surgery and be completely fine and healed.  Of course, there is a possibility that her cyst could continue to grow as she grows...but grow at a faster rate.  If that happens, it could begin to push on her esophagus and windpipe while she is still inside me and cause her problems swallowing.  The way they test that is to continue to monitor the amniotic fluid.  They do that by measuring how much fluid she is surrounded by as well as look at the consistency of it.  If she isn't swallowing as she should be, it will be very obvious.  Also, if that happens, then the C-section delivery will be different than a regular C-section.  They call it an "exit C-section."  I will have to be put under general anesthesia, Cody wouldn't be able to be in the room, it would be an actual surgery.  But they would get her head out first, then clamp my uterus so that the rest of her body is still inside me, attached to the umbilical cord, and she would still be getting everything she needed from my placenta.  The reason for this, is because they would need to insert a breathing tube or possibly do a tracheotomy so that they could stabilize her breathing before they proceed getting the rest of her sweet body out.  BUT...that's the absolute worst case scenario.  He said with as small as her little cyst is, there is a greater chance that this could completely dissolve and go away before the cyst became so big that it obstructed her swallowing and breathing in the womb and have to do an exit C-section.

I will definitely be having a C-section though...and most likely it will be in Ft. Worth.  Dr. Tabor did tell me that if the cyst does go away, then I will be able to deliver in Abilene!  Which would be absolute wonderful news...but I would still want to do a C-section at this point.  I would just feel more comfortable at this point going that route than have a vaginal birth and delivery.  So, this is basically what he told me: the cyst could go completely away and I can deliver in Abilene, the cyst will stay the same size as it is now (but I will still deliver in Ft. Worth), the cyst could get bigger but not obstruct her in any way and the C-section will be normal (still delivering in Ft. Worth), or the cyst could become so big that it causes her to not be able to swallow and require a more intense surgery for her and an exit C-section for me (but we believe this won't happen...and he even said it's very, highly unlikely it will come to that).  If I do wind up delivering in Ft. Worth, if the cyst doesn't go away, I will actually be having the C-section in an OR at Cook's Children's Hospital.  Which, is world renowned for the amazing doctors and treatments that they have for babies and children.  We already know the name of the doctor that will be taking care of her, and we will probably get to meet him when we go in August for another appointment.  His name is Dr. Miller, and Dr. Tabor told me that they always team up together when they are dealing with a baby that has on of these fluid filled, lymphatic cysts.  He said that of course this is not normal, and it is rare, but he has seen this many times before and every single baby has been just fine, healed perfectly, and had amazing, normal, healthy lives.  We feel that God has placed us in the hands of amazing doctors who are going to take amazing care of me, but more importantly, take exceptional care of our precious Seiden.  We are truly blessed that we have the technology that found this so that we can be proactive and it will be completely taken care of and she will be just fine!

And let me say...she is just getting more and more beautiful!  Of course...we are so partial...but she is just so perfect in every way.  The plus side of all of this is that we are getting to see our precious girl every couple of weeks.  We are getting to see how much she is developing, how much she has grown (which is a ton in two weeks!), and how much more she continues to wiggle around.  She is quite the little wiggle worm gymnast!!!  Her heart rate was 157 and the chambers of her heart were just going a mile a minute.  It was amazing to see him zoom in on her heart and see the four chambers so perfectly.  They were so beautiful and working perfectly...all the veins to and from her heart were also working just as they should.  Her organs were also absolutely perfect.  We got to see how the blood was flowing to and from them, and he said that they were all working perfectly and measuring just how they should for how far along I am and how much she weighs and is measuring.  What's crazy is that she is weighing and measuring exactly spot on for how far along I am.  We figured we were probably off by a few days...even a week maybe.  But on Wednesday when we went, I was 23 weeks and 3 days and that's exactly what she was measuring!  The only stinky part was that Cody wasn't able to go to this appointment.  He was on speaker phone the whole time...but there was no way he could get to Ft. Worth from Amarillo on a Wednesday afternoon.  But, my parents were there with me...so they got to see Seiden for the first time during the actual sonogram!  They've seen the pics from the others of course.  But, this was the first time that they got to see her inside me and moving and wiggling all around...they absolutely loved it!  It was really nice to have them there and be two more sets of ears along with Cody on speaker phone to fully absorb what Dr. Tabor was saying.  It was also fun spending the day with them...cause you know we did some shopping for the nursery after the appointment!  We also went to Cabela's...which is always fun!  Our precious girl is growing perfectly, developing normally, healthy as can be, and absolutely perfect and beautiful in every way.  Seiden Grace...we fall more and more in love with you every single second of every day.  You have captured our hearts in more ways than you will ever know and we love you more than words could ever express!

Seiden Grace at 23 Weeks:

• You are 9.5 inches long and weigh 1.5 pounds!!!
• You are the size of an ear of corn!
• Your gorgeous face is almost fully formed...and we think you have my nose and your sweet daddy's chin!
• You are gaining about 6 ounces a week...and I can tell when you are growing...and I love it!!!
• Your ears are also much more developed and you are hearing more and more things that are going on inside of me as well as in this world that you are about to grace with your beautiful presence.
• You are moving more and more and I can feel so much of it...and it's my favorite thing that happens all day!  There have even been a few times when you've bumped my arm and it's literally moved from your sweet little wiggles!
• You are the love of our lives precious girl!  You are loved by so many and there are so many amazing and precious people who are lifting you up in prayer each and everyday.  You are one lucky, special, and amazing little girl and we can't wait to see what big plans God has for you!  We love you so much Seiden Grace!!!

Only 17 More Weeks To Go!!!

Seiden's beautiful profile!!!  She gets more and more beautiful every time we see her!!!

We caught her sucking her thumb!  It's the first time that she's done that!  We also saw her grabbing at her feet and playing with her hands...precious baby!

Her beautiful little face!!!

Look at that foot!  I swear she's gonna be a runner...her feet are starting to get high arches like mine!  But...they're still so big...we don't know where she gets them!!!  So cute!!!