Baby3 Update

I realize that I haven't blogged much about this pregnancy, so here is my attempt to fill in some of what has been going on in these last few months.  This is going to take awhile and you may not have any interest in the details, so feel free to move to the next post. (:  I'll start with some of the highlights that may be old news by now!  We are expecting our 3rd son, due to arrive sometime around November 20th!  We found out in an ultrasound on June 9th--and I was of course filled with all kinds of mixed emotions!  Everyone thought it was going to be a girl since there is still only one grand daughter (and 6 grandsons) on my side of the family.  We were feeling the pressure for sure.  I think I knew in my gut that it was a boy, so I was not terribly surprised, but it was still an emotional day.  I look back on how much I had been praying for another baby (girl or boy) after my miscarriage, and I am so thankful and humbled that God allowed it to happen.  We love our boys so much and have really enjoyed seeing them interact as brothers.  It is really exciting for us to think of our future with three sons...something about it feels very special.  I hope we can raise them into the strong men & leaders that God would want them to be.
We have chosen the name Tate Gordon for our baby.  (We have always liked the name Tate, and even considered it for Griffin's middle name, and Gordon is Josh's dad's name.)

During the month of July we went through some concerning events with the pregnancy.  On July 7th I had an ultrasound and my doctor was very worried about the size of our baby boy.  Tate was measuring quite a bit smaller than where he should be and my amniotic fluid was really low.  We were referred to a specialist at the Maternal Fetal Medicine clinic at the hospital and had to wait a week to find out anything else.  During that week I was advised to take it easy and focus on increasing my fluid intake.  So, I did that and tried not to worry too much about all the possible scenarios that would run through my head.  We didn't have enough information to know what was possibly going on.

Picture frame from my friend, Kelly.

July 13th was our appointment at Maternal Fetal Medicine where we had a very in-depth ultrasound and evaluation.  The Dr. seemed concerned and noted some of the "red flags" being the baby's size (he was measuring two weeks smaller than where he should be) and fluid in the baby's bowels (which is a possible marker for a chromosomal abnormality or a virus).  The Dr. said that my risks for miscarrying (or the baby to just stop growing) were high and he wanted to do more tests to find out what was going on--and hopefully rule out some of the more involved & life-threatening medical problems.  They were concerned about a virus called CMV and wanted to test the baby's chromosomes.  So, after some discussion, Josh and I gave permission for the Dr. to perform an amniocentesis. I was scared, to say the least, and shocked about what we were hearing from the Dr., but I really tried to pray and trust God through the uncomfortable procedure and during the weeks of waiting for the test results.

The following week Josh and I went to Hume Lake Summer Camp with the high school group from our church.  We had been planning to go all year and debated on whether or not we should still go with all that was happening with my pregnancy.  The Dr. said it was fine for us to travel, so we ultimately decided that it would be good for us to go.  Although it was hard at times to be there...away from our boys and out of cell range...it ended up being a huge blessing in my life to spend time & have fun with the HS girls I'm close with.  It was a really good distraction for me, and I able to focus on the big picture and the eternal perspective that God wants us to have.  I know that God had us where he wanted us that week-- to hear what the amazing speaker at camp had to say, to minister to the students, and above all to remember that He is in control and was going to carry us through whatever was coming our way.  I'm so glad we went!  It's a whole other blog post in itself, though...(:

As I mentioned before, we were out of cell range at camp, so we weren't able to find out any test results until after that week.  When we got home I had a message to call the genetic counselor, and when I did she said that the amniocentesis showed no evidence of the virus!  We still had to wait another week or two for the chromosome test results.  I had an appointment scheduled for August 3rd and they said they would have the results for us then.  It was a relief to know that the virus was ruled out, but we still had a zillion thoughts in our minds regarding all the potential chromosomal abnormalities that could be affecting our baby.  On July 29th (Ronan's 6th Birthday!) we were at a friend's pool when I got a voicemail from the genetic counselor saying that she had the remaining results.  I called right away and heard the news that all of Tate's chromosomes were normal!  I couldn't believe it--I had the most amazing feeling of relief!  I couldn't hold back the tears as I finished up my conversation with her and then called Josh & then our parents & told everyone at the pool... It was a great day and so perfect (Praise God!) to hear the news on Ronan's birthday--we had a lot to celebrate!

We have had two ultrasounds since that day and both have shown that Tate is growing and "catching up" to now being only a week behind in size.  There is still some residual irritation in his intestines that the doctors will continue to keep an eye on.  They think that he may have had an infection at some point which slowed his growth down, but he has been fighting if off.  We don't know if Tate will have any health problems after birth--so I feel a little nervous about that, but it is reassuring to know that the major concerns have been ruled out.  I know that many of you have been praying for us and we truly appreciate it!  Thank you so much for your love and support!