Isaac's Birth!

I have been struggling with the words to expess our joy.  So instead I decided to let our pictures share it for us. Thank you to everyone for all your love and support.

37 Weeks!!! He's almost here!

Oh my goodness how the time has flown by!  I can't believe we are almost there, just two more weeks and little Isaac will be here! I have had a hard time really believing we would get here again in one piece but we have. I had another check up today with my ob as well as my regular NST (non-stress test).  Dr. J says I am doing great, happy with my blood pressure and says that Isaac is growing right on schedule, about 6 1/2 pounds approximately. So if things continue as they have been Isaac will "probably" be in the 8-9 pound range when he is born. Keeping in mind that his big brother was born at almost 41 weeks and Isaac will be born at 39 so he is most likely going to be smaller than Ethan. But you never know, he could surprise us ;) My next and final prenatal OB appointment will be Monday the 20th. That is the last one before Isaac's birthday!

 I am in full blown "nesting" mode again and have been going through the nursery again, rewashing clothes organizing and figuring out where the new clothes will go and what exactly I might need to replace or change out before Isaac arrives.  We are using most of Ethan's clothes for his little brother, we would have done that if he was here, they will be the nicest "hand me downs" any kid has ever worn!  Today I tackled some of the nursery closet as well, trying to figure out where things should go and moving the mini crib into our room.  Even then there were changes because we have new bedroom furniture that we got this year that takes up more corner space than before. 
So many things to think about, to "try" and plan for and yet I know some things will simply have to wait until Isaac is home with us, I can't believe I am really saying that, Isaac will be coming home with us.  He really will.  He is a happy healthy baby who is constantly reassuring his Mommy and Daddy that he is doing well with his acrobatics in my tummy.  We are officially in count down mode, 14 days to go. I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!

31 Weeks! Oh my Goodness!

Oh my goodness, how time has flown by!  I can't believe we are almost there, only 8 more weeks before our baby boy arrives!  We just had a check up with my OB yesterday and everything is going perfectly. We are officially on the schedule for June 28th at 9am.  WOW!  Part of me is still amazed that we are here, that we have come this far.  I am so thankful and amazed by all we have been blessed with on this journey.  Amazing new friends in our support group of wonderful BLM mommies that I adore and so much love and prayer from everyone we know! 

We also had our repeat 3D appointment yesterday to try and get some better face pics so I wanted to share them with you as well.  They are so awesome, I love to stare at them in amazement!  Just 8 more short weeks and he will be here to love and cuddle and squeeze and snuggle, I can hardly stand it! Counting down the weeks and days until I can hold you sweet boy, I love you!

Mommy!

In this picture he is trying to put his toe in his mouth!

Look at those huge lips! I can't wait to kiss them!

This last pic he has his foot totally covering his face, little stinker!

29 weeks tomorrow and 3D Pics!

We had our 3D appointment today, both my mom and my hubby's got to come for this one, it was so fun!  Isaac was being rather stubborn so we didn't get any full face shots but there are some cute side shots, so without further ado here they are!

One active little boy!

Well the days and weeks continue to march along, I can't believe we are already at 23 weeks 1 day! Less than a week until we make the 6 month mark!  I have really bounced back and forth between sheer joy and wanting to celebrate and being to afraid to allow myself to imagine our future with Isaac.  I love this little boy so much, and each day he does his best to remind me just how well he is doing by wiggling and moving around all the time! From the beginning Isaac has been a active boy, at our 9 week appointment I remember my OB saying wow he is so active I am having trouble tracking him on the monitor!  Well Isaac has truly lived up to his 9 week appointment, this little boy is by far the most active of my three pregnancies.  I love to feel him moving and dancing around in my tummy, its such an amazing feeling there is truly nothing like it! I am so blessed with this active little boy!

 I am so thankful that Isaac is growing and healthy and it gives me hope each day.  There are still things I struggle with though.  I want Isaac to be celebrated, he deserves that!  And yet the idea of a baby shower for him still makes me very anxious, in the back of my head I still can't help but think, "We might not bring him home, I can't have another shower for a son who doesn't come home!" Not to mention the fact that we have so much already, truly I feel like having one is a little greedy.  We were so blessed with Ethan, and I plan on sharing all of his things with his little brother, it would be that way if he was here with us too. So I have been thinking about having a "meet the baby party" instead of a shower.  This way everyone gets to come and celebrate with us and actually get to see our little boy instead of just talking to my tummy.  Also by then we will have a better idea of things we still need and can make a new registry for truly needed items!  This is a boomerang battle that continues to go around in my head. So I am asking for feedback and ideas from all my mommy friends both BLMs and my other dearly loved mommies as well!  What do you think? Love to hear from you! I think I am also going to re post this on my other blog just so I can get more feedback.

Thanks so much!

Love,

Ami  Mommy to Alexis, Ethan and little Isaac!

21 weeks and counting!

Hi All,

Its been a while since I did a baby update so here it goes!  Isaac is doing great! We had his 20 week anatomy scan last week and everything was perfect, just as it should be.  The anatomy scan is where they take measurements of all the limbs as well as the heart and head.  Checking for any kind of abnormalities in size or structure that would be cause for alarm.  So thankful that the appointment went beautifully!  He has all his fingers and toes and everything else in the right place.  He is looking to be another giant baby as well, he measure 20 weeks 4 days when he was only 20 weeks. 

We also got some neat pictures to share as well. One great head shot and even one of his very large feet, just like his big brother :)  He continues to grow and thrive each day and I am beginning to feel movement more and more, which I love! He doesn't have any regular patterns yet so it is hard to keep track yet by feeling but I can listen to him anytime I want on my at home pregnancy monitoring system, its so reassuring for mommies like us.  It is not a ultrasound machine, it is just a sensor that put on your belly and there are earplugs attached which allow you to literally hear your little one moving around inside. It works best in the 3rd trimester but I was never very good at waiting so I used it for the first time last week, it was amazing! Its too early yet to hear the heart beat on this type of monitor but I can hear the loud thumps when he moves around, so awesome!!

So our little Isaac is doing well and so is Mommy, no major health issues for me, thank goodness. I have been very blessed with all my pregnancies, no morning sickness at all. Just a general tiredness, especially in the first trimester.  Now that we have only 7 weeks left in our second trimester I am beginning to really allow myself to begin to hope and dream for our little Isaac.  My hubby and I both of course have our anxious moments/days but each day is a little less and every day I allow myself to hope a little more.  Thank you so much to everyone who I know has been praying for us, and supporting us on this rainbow baby journey. Keep up the good work and prayers. In just 18 more weeks Isaac will be here in our arms to love and adore for a lifetime!

                                     Here are the 20 week scan pictures!

March for Babies!

Hello to all my family and friends,
Many of you know that I am the coordinator for my pregnancy and infant loss support group HAND. (Helping after Neonatal Death)

We in our local chapter here in the central valley are taking part in this year's March for Babies walk!

So I am asking you all to support us in honor of Ethan, Alexis and all the other angel babies in our group as well as in support of all the miracle babies like myself ( I was born at 27 weeks!) who made it!

Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small and often very sick. The work done by March of Dimes for all babies both big and small is simply amazing! I'm walking in March for Babies because I want to do something to help. And I need yours as well.

Please support my walk. Making a secure donation is easy: just click the link on the bottom of this post. Thank you for helping me give all babies a healthy start!
The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.

http://www.marchforbabies.org/TheMishlerBabies

Some serious anxiety and good news too!

I have not done a good job with my weekly updates these last few weeks, so I wanted to just let you know that our little boy is doing fabulously!  We have been very blessed to have my awesome ob who really understands what we need and we have had appointments every two weeks since about 6 weeks along.  Let me just say again, I love my Dr. J!  He gets me and doesn't blow off my need for reassurance and anytime I have a question or concern he is always more than happy to talk it out with me, he is awesome!

At our 15 week appointment we discussed it and I thought I felt totally fine with moving our "baby checkups" to 4 weeks instead of two.  It did seem like it was a lot of visits and it is harder on my hubby with his work schedule.  So we left all in agreement and the the first week flew by quickly and then we made it to the second week and I was still doing just fine.  All of a sudden right at 17 weeks to the day I started feeling major anxiety. That night all I could do was worry about our little boy, was he OK? It was all I could think about.  So much so that I couldn't sleep, literally slept all of about 3 hours that night. Those that know me, know that I am a good sleeper, I can sleep with the best of them, so if I am not sleeping there is definitely something up. 

I decided to call ob the next morning, I did not tell my hubby because I didn't want to worry him more than he already does.  No sense in worrying him till there was something to really worry about! So I called and got an appointment right away at 9:00. They were so nice to me, all I said was that I had an anxious night and just wanted to get checked out and they got me a 9:00am appointment.  My appointment was of course not with my reg. Dr so I did have some initial nervousness about that but I decided I didn't care who I saw as long as I got some good news and reassurance! 

So I actually ended up seeing the head of OB who not only knows who I am but was part of the review board and meeting we had with Kaiser last July so he knew everything!  I was nervous to see him again but at the same time glad because he would understand, I wouldn't have to explain anything to him.  So thankful I got to see him, he was wonderful!  He asked me how I was doing and I told him about my anxiety. I told him this was the first time I had ever been this anxious before. As we were talking I had a realization that I then shared with him.  Perhaps the reason for my anxiety level rising was because up until now I had appointments every two weeks.  So I never really had the chance to get anxious. I had hit the two week mark without a planned appointment and all of a sudden my anxiety level sky rocketed.  He agreed and said, well I have no problem continuing your 2 week appointments in order to help you with your anxiety.  I breathed a sigh of relief and said thank you I think that could really help. 

Then we got to the good stuff, seeing our little guy on the US machine, moving around like crazy, as usual.  My fluid levels were good, he was measuring right on schedule for 17 weeks and more exciting news, my placenta was very good sized, large even! My placenta with Ethan was in the 30% range so I was thrilled to hear this piece of news.  That was such a relief! Our little guy was happy and healthy, the news every mommy longs to hear at all of her appointments.  So I left feeling good, supported and huge relief that yes our baby boy was doing just fine, I was just an anxious Mommy!

So this Tuesday, February 1st, we will be 18 weeks along, which amazes me!  We have decided on a name for our little boy after weeks of discussion, so without further ado I give you...
                                     Isaac Benjamin Mishler

The biblical meaning for Isaac is-" He will laugh" which is a great match! All you have to do is look at the pictures I posted from our 3D visit and you can see the huge smile on his face :)  So there you have it! We have our big anatomy scan coming up on February 15th at 1:15pm so keep that date in your prayers please.  Thanks for all your love, prayers and support as we continue on this very long journey. 

Ami, Dave and little Isaac!

It's a ...

Well the day of our appointment finally arrived!  We of course were overly excited and arrived at Peek a Baby 30 minutes early.  It gave me time however to finish all the water I was supposed to drink in order to fill up my bladder.  So we impatiently waited in the waiting room and finally it was our turn.  We went in and the tech was so sweet!   First thing she asked was, "so what do you think you are having?" I laughed and said, a boy I am sure of it.  So we got things going and very shortly we saw our little one up on the big screen.  It really was amazing on a 42 inch screen!  Our little one was a little shy in the beginning and it took probably a good 7-10 minutes for the tech to get him to give us a good shot.  Finally it came and she said, "are you ready? It's a boy!!"  I laughed again and said "I was right!"  Such a fun and thrilling visit.  3D/4D really is so much fun. We are very thankful for technology! Although I will admit at this age, 15 weeks 4 days everything was super teeny tiny.  Even so we managed to get some great shots of our little man, smiling, laying back with his arm back behind his head, and even one with his tongue sticking out!  So with out further ado I will share the video link and some photos with you.

Here is the video link:

http://www.anticipationbabyview.com/PeekABabyCA/Baby1101151902.asf


These are some of my favorite photo shots, enjoy!

Look at the smile on this boy!

I'm just chillin in my "Crib"

14 week update

Hi All,

Not a whole lot new to report this week that's why I'm late in posting. We are 14 weeks this week, actually 14 w and 3 days today to be exact.  Next week is a more exciting week, we have a ob appointment on Thursday and on Saturday the 15th we are having our first gender peek at Peek a Baby a 3D ultrasound facility.  So here is this week's growth update. Not feeling any movement yet, at least not that I am 100% sure on. Hoping in the next few weeks that will change! That's all for now.


Ami

http://www.babycenter.com/slideshow-baby-size?slideNumber=12&bclink=slideshow&scid=mbtw_preg14:1001&pe=2Uyg9fV&st=MjAxMTAxMDc=

NT Ultrasound and our 13 week update

Well its hard to believe it but the end of the first trimester is here!  We are 13 weeks 1 day today. Next week will begin the 2nd trimester already, I can hardly believe it!  I am continuing to have another amazing and smooth pregnancy, so happy to be a Mommy again.  I know I am already a Mom but the possibility of being one here on Earth and not only to angel babies is an ache that never leaves me, and I continue to count down the days with both anxiety and hope.  Here is the link for the weekly development info at 13 weeks!

http://www.babycenter.com/slideshow-baby-size?slideNumber=11&bclink=slideshow&scid=mbtw_preg13:989&pe=2Uyg9fV&st=MjAxMDEyMjk=


Now onto the fun stuff! We had our NT Ultrasound today.  NT stands for nuchal translucency This prenatal test (also called the NT or nuchal fold scan) can help assess the baby's risk of having Down syndrome and some other chromosomal abnormalities as well as major congenital heart problems.
The NT test uses ultrasound to measure the clear (translucent) space in the tissue at the back of the baby's neck. Babies with abnormalities tend to accumulate more fluid at the back of their neck during the first trimester, causing this clear space to be larger than average.

So we went in at 8:15 and we were in the room by 8:30, hardly any waiting at all! I love being the first patient of the morning. :)  The tech for our appointment was nice enough, not overly excited but pleasant so I am feeling good as I lay down and prepare for the ultrasound.  She got things going and we could immediately see our little "guy" on the screen it was so amazing. He moved around a few times for us, even seemed like he hiccuped a few times.  I have yet to feel any of the movements from the baby, probably a few more weeks.  So the scanning continues all is well in our baby world. 

The tech asks general questions and of course the topic of children came up. So I told her briefly about Ethan and her response was one I won't forget. "Oh" was pretty much all she said.  Now I know that people have varying degrees of training in this field but seriously, "oh" is all she could say?  I was flabbergasted momentarily and then gave her some more info regarding our circumstances what had gone wrong etc and her answer to that was, " I see".  WOW! Granted she wasn't ever mean or rude during the exam but still I just could not believe her response.  Perfect strangers have been more compassionate to us than her.  Anyway moving on.

The doctor came in after she had finished and reviewed the pictures that she had taken. He kept looking and looking at the NT measurement and saying I don't think this is quite right. So he did another 30 minutes of pictures himself just so he could get the very most accurate results for our screening!  I was very impressed not only with his level of accuracy but also his willingness to spend so much extra time doing more pictures himself when he easily could have asked the tech to retake them.  He was a very kind, compassionate man and when I brought up Ethan to him and what had happened he was awesome!  He said how sorry he was, and how difficult it must be for us and was there anything he could do for us.  Talk about night and day responses! He was very glad to give us the good news that all our results from the testing came back negative! For all three majors Down Syndrome, Trisomy 18 and Spina bifida.  Also checked for congenital heart defects and we are home free on all counts!!  Such a good feeling to know our little one is doing well and healthy, Praise God!

Here are some pics from this appointment. Unfortunately I have no video, it wasn't allowed for this appointment. =(  At least you can enjoy the pictures.   Oh one last detail, they could not give us any gender info this time, so we will have to wait until our Peek a Baby appt. on Jan. 15th. Hopefully we will find out then!

 I love these last two shots, you can see his hand up by his face, so sweet!

12 Weeks

I wanted to share the 12 week update for our little one. We continue to be blessed with good health and I am beginning to "pop out" just a little bit. A stranger would never notice but my close girlfriends have :)  Next week is our NT ultrasound and we are hoping to get a unofficial gender peek! I happen to believe we are having another little boy and the over the counter gender prediction test we took also said boy, can't wait to see if I'm right! We used the same test for Ethan and the results were boy so I am feeling fairly confident. We shall see! The link below shows you size and development info for 12 weeks. Its truly amazing how much happens in just one week's time.

http://www.babycenter.com/slideshow-baby-size?slideNumber=10&bclink=slideshow&scid=mbtw_preg12:1006&pe=2Uyg9fV

Oh and here is a picture of the results from our over the counter gender test.

Another Rainbow Baby Happy Ending

I read this story of one of my bloggy friends on Ethan's 6 month angelversary. Of course I couldn't help but weep as I read it. Then I shared it with my hubby who also got teary. Just think that will be us in just a few short months! So I had to share this beautiful story with you all.


http://rubybaby09.blogspot.com/2010/12/hes-ours.html


I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Love and Hugs!

Ami

Our Wonderful News!

Well as you might have guessed from the title of my blog we are expecting our rainbow baby!  Words can not begin to express how happy and excited and nervous we are to be parents again.  We waited awhile to tell people this time, just felt right this way. I think its probably a self protective mode that kicks in but we are now far enough along that we both feel good about sharing this blessing with the rest of the world! 

How far along am I? As of today we are 11 weeks 1 day.  Our due date is July 5th. However we are having a planned c-section at 39 weeks so the actual date will most likely be June 28th 2011. We just had our 3rd doctor appointment yesterday and got to see our little acrobat in action. It was pretty amazing. We have been enjoying lots of doctor appointments, and each one so far we have gotten to have an ultrasound which is so much fun! So we first saw our little one at 7 weeks, then 9 weeks and now 11 weeks. We have our next ultrasound at 13 weeks which should really be exciting, very often at that appointment the tech can unofficially tell you what gender you are most likely having, unless the baby is "hiding" from us.

So far this little one has been absolutely perfect in every way.  I have not been sick either, I seem to be blessed in the prego department all of my pregnancies have been extremely smooth sailing!  No getting sick, no health problems, just the occasional bout of fatigue which of course is totally normal.  I will continue to update you about our little one on this blog so please make sure to "follow" this blog as well as my other one. I know how happy everyone will be to hear our news and I want to be able to share more of our excitement with you so here is a video of our most recent ultrasound, at 11 weeks just yesterday!

Love and hugs to everyone! We'll be sure to keep you updated as often as we can!