She's done it again!

I think were on a roll folks (however I don't want to jinx myself)! On Thursday we had another NST and AFI! She did the NST like a champ (like we all know she is), there was no buzzing involved! WAHOO!!! She's getting to be such a big girl! Makes me so proud. Although even when she does have to get buzzed I'm still proud. Our AFI was good as well, she is still breech! Although this doesn't matter much because we already have a c-section scheduled. My fluid levels were good holding steady around 19, so I'll take that!

Today (Monday) was a good day too, again she rocked the NST like the growing baby that she is! There was no buzzing involved whatsoever! She even made Bonnie proud! The AFI went well as well, again there wasn't much to it, the tech did what she was there to do today, however today I worked up the nerve to ask to see her face, and she obliged! So we got a quick peek at her cute, chubby little face!

Peter and I are sooooo very blessed. We have had 2 baby showers in the past two weekends and the love and support that was there is amazing, and so very humbling! We'd like to thank each and everyone of you for your continued support, it means so much to us! Even if we've not met and its just through prayer, it doesn't go unnoticed and as they say prayer can move mountains!

I'd like to just ask for your continued prayer, there are so many requests that we have, all mainly surrounding our sweet baby girl, but there is a specific one for us. That is that God gives us peace, as her due date approaches we get more anxious. We know that this is all in God's control and we are thankful for that because that would be quite the burden to carry however we still need our anxious hearts calmed.

Thanks again, and I've yet to receive any new pics, so we'll just reminisce with an oldy but a goody!, at the end of the day my sweet, healthy, precious, baby girl is all that matters!

Celebrate

Sorry for the delay but were back at it!

Bust out your party hats and noisemakers folks, we're having a party!! Emma graduated, well for a day anyways!! Our appointment on Monday Feb 11 was a GREAT day!!! Bonnie was right, its like something magical happens when the baby hits 32 weeks! Emma didn't get buzzed AT ALL!!! We had our own little party in the NST room. LOL! Our fluid check was also great, we've been able to stay with in the normal range. I walked out of that hospital like I'd just accepted an Oscar (on Emma's behalf of course).

Thursday was a good day, she didn't cooperate as well but you know life's tough when your trying to grow! There are some days when you just don't feel like behaving, I know that happens to me sometimes. This poor girl has come down with the hiccups, they aren't your run of the mill hiccups either they are SERIOUS, last about 5 minutes and happens at most 3 times a day! This day was no exception, we were going about our business listening to her precious little thump, thump, thump of her heart beat when all the sudden she got the hiccups. I blame Bonnie, lol, she had to buzz her which I believe scared the hiccups into her. These hiccups lasted for what seemed like forever, they had to call in the doctor to make sure she was reactive enough and as soon as the doc looked at her graph she said the baby has the hiccups. LOL... they were that identifiable. But the doctor cleared her and sent us on our way for the AFI. That was a quick check, the levels were all good and we were on our way.

That brings us to this past Monday. Our sweet baby girl cooperated (well sort of), she only had to be buzzed once, this is progress compared to last Thursday. She got to the 150's on her own once and then Bonnie was waiting till the end to see if she'd do it again, alas she did not. So she got buzzed. But that ticked her off she jumped up to 160 and then hung around there for a while. I can imagine she was saying to herself, I'm going to make this buzz worthwhile. Oh baby girl. We went to the AFI and that was good. The ultrasound tech's have been turds lately and haven't given us anything extra to look at, just telling us we are good. Which of course I appreciate, I just always like to get that extra look at my baby's sweet chunky face!

That about sums it up for us. Thank you all so much for your love and support, it means more to Peter and I and our families then we'll ever be able to express!! Thank you thank you!

At the end of the day this is what matters

Thursday we meet again!

We shall begin this post to say that we have a DUE DATE!!! Emma will be here on March 25, 2013! I like this day for our baby girls birthday! Its a Monday so it'll be great, and it'll be here before we know it. 

Monday was another good day. We went for the NST, that went well, baby girl was buzzed only once, and that was near the end so its getting easier just like Nurse Bonnie said it would. Then we went for our AFI, my fluid levels were good it was 18.6 so its hanging steady! PRAISE GOD! Here's our pictures from Monday, they are a little hard to see because Emma wasn't looking at the camera. Doesn't she know that her momma is a sucker for pictures, and MANY will be taken once she arrives!!! 

This is her face, she is squishing her hand to her chunky little cheeks! EEEKKKS!

Here is her sweet foot!! LOVE IT! 

And that brings us to today. GUESS WHAT... Emma hit her mark today on her NST without ANY buzzing!! WAHOOOOOOOOO!!!! Milestone met!!!!!!!!!! YAY BABY GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!! In fact she did it 3 times when it was only required that she hit it twice! Today was also a growth scan day! So we got an extra long look at our sweet girl! My fluid level was good, 16.9, which is the LOWEST its ever been. We were taking bets as to how much Emma weighs.. (not real bets dont worry) just a little pool shall we say. Anyways, Peter guessed she'd weigh 5.8, I said 4.10, mom and a friend said 5 on the nose. So imagine our excitement when the tech told us that Emma weighs 5.8 pounds. HOLY MOLY!!!!!!!!! We were told to expect her to gain a half a pound a week which is another 3.5 pounds! Watch out world we have a chunker on our hands! But we're ok with that. We need her as chunky as possible for her surgery! Her vents measured larger then I would have liked to have seen, they were both in the 30's. I pray that they don't get any larger, although none of the doctors seemed to concerned seeing as her head has also grown comparably. We had a follow up with the doctor which was good. It was the same doc that is going to deliver our sweet girl so that was good. All in all a good day, alot of UPs and just one down. We have so many blessings in our lives and I just have to keep my faith steadfast that God is the ultimate one in control! Just a few prayer requests..a) that she stays put until March 25 and b) That her vents don't get any larger. I leave you with a few pictures from today! 

Here is her sweet little face, looking at the camera

This is her beautiful profile

And again, her sweet foot!!!

at the end of the day this is what matters

Thank you all for your continued thoughts, and prayers. It is much appreciated!!! 

Sheweeeeeee...

Today was another busy day for us Hendrikson's! I was fortunate to have the day off work, Peter however didn't have that luxury and had to work until 10am however I digress!

We started off today with a visit to the NICU we got there at around 11:15 checked in with the front desk and were met by a charge nurse named Morgan. She is a very sweet gal! She explained to us the detailed hand washing process that'll need to be done to keep our girl and the other sweet babies healthy! She then went on to tell us about checking in at the front desk and the visitor policy. Which right now is pretty strict because of flu season and the concerns for RSV. I understand their policy and don't want to put any babies in jeopardy however I'm not a fan of it. Currently it'll be Peter and I who will have 24/7 access then only 4 other people will be allowed to visit Emma while in the NICU. I am praying that the flu season ends before Emma gets here because we have a lot of friends and family that will want to see our sweet baby girl. It was explained to us how it'll work while she's there with the doctors and nurses. She will have a group of assigned nurses that'll follow her care until the time she is discharged. They've thought of EVERYTHING... for heaven's sake they even have a laundry room with all the items needed!!! We are truly fortunate to live in such a city where GREAT medical care is so close to home. How blessed we are to live in Cincinnati!

We then met with the neurosurgeon. He was a nice man, I was initially intimidated because I had just assumed he'd be stand-offish and straight to the point, however this wasn't the case. He was nice, and was there to inform us about her surgery day and what that'll entail and to answer our questions. One of the questions that has been pressing on my heart was answered to my liking today. I have been so wrapped up with worry about not being able to hold Emma for an extended period of time after her back closure. I understand that it would be for her sole benefit if I wasn't able to but it has been weighing heavy on my heart. Well I asked him about how long after her back closure would we be able to hold her and he said that as long as the NICU doc's were ok with it and she wasn't on the ventilator or anything like that, that I could hold her the same day as her surgery! WHAT A RELIEF!!!! Another prayer answered! We also got to see what a shunt looked like. Its pretty much just a long tube, that if she needs one would be placed in her brain and would go down to her abdomen where it will dump the cerebral fluid. This is what it looks like...

After a quick lunch in the hospital cafeteria (which actually isn't so bad) we then got a tour of the Spina Bifida clinic where we will go for follow up care once she is here, this is where all her doctors will be. It'll be on an assigned day typically Monday afternoons and we'll just go there and the doctors will come to us (how nice is that). We were told that the first visit will be with the Urology doctor and the Development team.

Today was also our normal testing day, so off we went to Good Sam. We had the NST where of course Emma chose not to cooperate and was buzzed, but they eventually got what they were looking for! Then onto the ultrasound... my FAVORITE part of testing day. The fluid level was good at 19.4. Then the ultrasound tech was showing us her profile and said that she was able to tell that Emma had hair! She said it's pretty unusual to see hair at this point in the pregnancy, forever Peter and I had decided that Emma would be as bald as an onion when she was born because we both were, but I can't wait to put her first bow on her!!  While we were admiring her beautiful locks, the tech saw her stick her tongue out at us. I can just see it now... she's already blowing raspberries and she isn't even here yet!!

I think that sums up today! Thank you for your faithful thoughts and prayers, we appreciate every single one of you! And of course I leave you with pictures!!

And at the end of the day she is what matters!!!

Glucose test results are in...

Well this has yet been another uneventful week which I am soooo thankful for.

Thursday started early, had to be at the hospital at 7:15 to begin my 3 hours of being used as a pin cushion. So the way it works they make you not eat anytime after midnight, but I was going to ensure I had the best chances possible so I didn't eat past 9 pm. Very hard to do when your growing a human! LOL!! They took my blood to make sure it was below 120 and it was it started out at 90! YAY! Then I had to drink what tasted like over sugared flat sprite... GAG ME!!! The way it works is I sit for an hour and they drew my blood, sit for another hour draw it again, sit for another hour draw it again, THEN I GOT TO EAT!!!!!! You see where my priorities are right? I was told I would know the results at my appointment later that day.

Later on Thursday, Peter and I went to our appointment, and had the NST. Emma of course was buzzed, but only once, then we went for the fluid check and it was good, at 18.6. We headed to the doctors office, we were kind of under a time crunch because we were interviewing a pediatric office at 5. So as all things go the good doctor was running behind, so we sat, and sat some more. I've realized that time really goes much slower when you watch the clock. Note to self... quit looking. The nurse came in took my vitals (which were good) and it was killing me I had to know... So I asked her if I passed... she says... Yes you passed all 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WAS THRILLED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for your prayers!!!!!! The meeting with the doctor was good he said that all looked well, and we were on our way!

Today we had another NST/AFI, mom went with me and we had the NST first. Per her standard Emma was buzzed... lol... this little girl I tell ya... One of these days she wont be buzzed I just know it. She cooperated like she does and we were on our way. Our AFI went well too. Levels were at 18 which is GREAT! The kind ultrasound tech showed us our sweet girls profile, which I love, then she asked if we had to be anywhere to which we responded NOPE. She said oh good, your my last patient's and I want to flip to 3D. I've always wanted to get a 3D ultrasound but weren't sure we wanted to put out the money so I was ELATED. The pictures are AMAZING! They are so clear, we got to see her sweet face, and its confirmed she has Peters nose but my cheeks! Oh our sweet girl! I just love her so much!

Thank you so much for your faithfulness, thoughts and prayers. Peter, Emma and I truly appreciate it, as do our families!

Here are some 3D pics! Because at the end of the day she is what matters!

She looks like she is thinking... hmm... "How much longer am I stuck in here"

5 down...

NST/AFI's that is...

Thursday was another round of NST/AFI. We've gotten used to it, we know what to expect, however the past 2 times we've gone we have had different nurses. Which is okay however we had gotten used to Bonnie, lol! It went well, she got buzzed, she was pushed, and wiggled. Poor little girl! However she did what was expected of her, like us Hendrickson's usually do. The fluid test was great as well, another opportunity to see our gal! They measured the fluid level at 17.6 which was good seeing as 24 is considered high. We met with the doctor and they were pleased with everything.

However... Wednesday I was told that I failed my gestational diabetes test by 14 dang points. Which they considered barely... MEH, not cool. So I had to schedule a three hour test for this Thursday. I think there were some extenuating circumstances that went into me failing the 1 hour but I wont bore you with those details! So please say a prayer that I pass my 3 hour test.

That brings us to today, Monday, we had another NST/AFI, Miss Emma had to be messed with 1 time but that sure got her going. She was hanging around the low 140's and then after she was buzzed it got up to 167, the nurse was pleased! The AFI went well too, the fluid level was 21.6, which is considered good. And the kind ultrasound tech showed us our sweet girls face and another shot of her foot. I think she likes to show off her foot because it's so perfect!! Here are a few pictures that we got today which always makes this momma's heart happy!

Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers it means so much more to Peter and I, then I could ever put into words!

As I say at the end of the day this is what matters...

Another day another update...

Hello world,

So here is another update. We had a NST and Growth Scan on Thursday January 10th. Her NST went well although she still had to be buzzed a few times to get her moving, but after a while she did cooperate and they got what they were looking for. Her growth scan was good. We got to see her fantastic face! It looks so cute and I can't wait to kiss her!! Peter and I have decided that she has his nose and my cheeks. She weighs 3 pounds which is in the 60th percentile. Peter and I are delighted with this news. We need her as chunky as she can be for her surgery. The fluid on Thursday was at 23.5. We were told that it shouldn't exceed 24. When we talked with the doctor after everything they said that they start to monitor it more closely if it exceeds 24 because it could cause contractions however this amount fluctuates day to day even ultrasound tech to ultrasound tech. They drew my blood for the glucose test (praying that comes back good), and we are waiting for those results!

Here's her chunky cheeks

Today, Monday January 14th we went in for another NST and AFI. Again Ms. Emma decided to play hard ball and got buzzed, I think she is becoming immune to this and hears it and continues about with her growing and just hanging out. However we did learn that this test was really intended for babies of a gestational age of 32 weeks. They said that once we hit that mark these test will be easier and she shouldn't have to get buzzed as frequently. Then we went for her AFI, which was quick and painless, I got to see her cute little foot, and we found out that the fluid was at 20! Praise God! It went down!!!

Thank you all for being faithful readers and prayers, Peter, myself and our families appreciate your thoughts and your prayers for us and our baby girl! We are so in love with her. We often remark about how much love we have for the little person growing inside of me and how she isn't even here yet and we are head over heels for her!

At the end of the day this is what matters...