16 Week Update

The last few weeks have been mostly uneventful, which is nice. I am enjoying getting more time in between me and first trimester. I don’t think that I am 100% yet. I am not nauseous very much anymore, but I do still seem to be picky on food, and have been eating out way more than I ordinarily would. I get kind of frustrated with myself about it because I am ordinarily a very health-conscious person, and to eat junk on a regular basis is REALLY not me at all, and I hate the feeling that I am starting Aaron’s life by feeding him this stuff. Honestly, if I truly remember back, I think it was probably like this with Noah as well, but I was less sensitive to it because I hadn’t yet started Bradley Method classes to know what an appropriate diet was when you are pregnant. Many people out there are so eager to tell you that you are “eating for two” or that “this is the time that you get a free pass on food and can eat whatever you want, so live it up.” That couldn’t be further from the truth. Oh well. I do what I can, and trust (hope) that this will end soon, and I can get back on track with my normal regimen.

Chris and I are doing some last big house projects before the baby comes, since we know that that will not be the priority for a good long while. We had new countertops installed in the kitchen, and Chris put up a new backsplash as well (see pictures below). It looks amazing! Our cabinets are in great shape and worth keeping, and to add this update makes it look like a completely brand new kitchen. We also ordered new shutters and a new storm door to put up. We are scheduled to have the exterior of the house re-painted in June, and want these new things to put up once the painting is done. Chris will also spend a lot of the summer gutting the front and back yards as well. After these things are taken care of, that should tide us over for a while.

We are also planning some last trips since travel will be very difficult once Aaron is here. Chris always likes to do some big bike rides in the summer. I love going along since it takes us through some of the small mountain towns that are very peaceful, quiet and cute. All of them are just a few hours from home, so not such a big deal to slip away for long weekends here and there. Chris plans to do two trips this summer. One will be a mountain biking trip with my father and a good family friend. The wives all tag along too and support the guys as needed while they ride and enjoy one another’s company. This trip will be in the Crested Butte area.

The second trip is called the Courage Classic, and it is a 3 day, 200 or so mile trip covering at least 4 mountain passes. It is done on road bikes, and this ride is set up to raise money to benefit the Children’s Hospital in Denver. In particular, Chris plans to ride on the Gene Team, which raises money exclusively for the Inherited Metabolic Disease Clinic. These are the folks that have provided a tremendous amount of support after Noah died to help us understand what happened. After Aaron is born, he will be on their care plan until his newborn screenings come back that will tell us once and for all if he has MCADD. If you would like to support Chris and his ride in memory of Noah this summer, please go to: Chris’s Courage Classic Page

I have no updates to report on a recent doctor’s visit right now. I am on hold with them until I get the amniocentesis done on May 10. There was some stress surrounding that. I made an appointment with the doctor that my OB recommended. At their request, I faxed over all of our genetic paperwork that indicates that Chris and I are carriers, and Noah’s results as well showing the extent of his illness. They took one look at our stuff, and immediately called me back to tell me that I needed to go further up the food chain in terms of doctors that do this kind of work. Given our issue and level of risk, there is a group that handles screening for more severe genetic disorders and issues. It was a little unsettling to go through this. We have always known what our risk was, but to have experts in the medical profession react this way was scary. Logically, I want the very best people looking at our boy and making sure he is ok. Emotionally, I had appreciated our OB’s take on sending us somewhere where this is normal and healthy, and there would be ultrasounds which is always fun, etc. She knows our situation and was probably toning the whole thing down to keep us from freaking out like how we have been. Either way, I will feel better when it is all over, the results are in, and it is what we expected and he’s healthy. In the meantime, I am just kind of holding my breath on the whole thing.

Finally, I want to wish everyone a happy Mother’s Day. I am feeling grateful for Aaron, because this holiday would be pretty painful without him. Instead, I will be enjoying the fact that I have two children to think about this year. I am grateful for both of them, no matter how tough it can be at times to be their mother. I love them very much, realize so much more how precious each of their lives are.

Here's the kitchen before and after pics. For the "before" picture I used the one when we were just looking at the house before we bought it. It is a bit blurry, but you can definitely see how much we have done! (You can click the pictures to make them bigger.)