Let's start for the main reason for my slacking. I found out I was pregnant on August 8th and within two weeks I was completely overcome with morning sickness. And folks, it is just now easing up on me. Whew, it has been a rough few months for this mama. Although being that sick is AWFUL, I can't help but be thankful for it too. I had a miscarriage the month before this pregnancy (which was also the exact thing that happened with Preston).
So while being sick we went to the beach for Labor Day with my family, started fun fall festivities by visiting the pumpkin patch and our church fall festival. We also made Halloween cookies and had fun trick-or-treating at my brother's house for Halloween. Preston was Mickey Mouse this year and was just adorable (as you can see below). We also took Preston to his first Auburn game and he had a great time. We were able to stay the whole game despite it being a night game. He is a trooper that's for sure. We also took him to Disney on Ice with his cousins. He actually liked it too! Maybe we will try the circus this year...
And in addition to all that I was in full party planning mode. I helped host a baby tea for my sweet friend, Amber over at our house and had Preston's birthday party two weeks later...also at the house. So we have been pretty busy around the Mosley household. Speaking of Preston's birthday though, I will be doing a separate post on his two year stats and party fun. I can't believe our boy is two!
As for our new little one, we were able to hear the heartbeat at 6 weeks and everything looked great, went back at 10 weeks and again had an ultrasound and everything looked wonderful. I went in for my 15 week check-up on Halloween morning. We had opted to have the quad screen test done that screens for chromosomal problems with the baby, including Down's Syndrome. They simply draw some blood to be sent off. I had the same thing done with Preston. It's a completely optional test that I never thought too much about until I got a call this past Tuesday from my doctor herself.
I knew it wasn't a good thing when I heard her voice instead of the nurse. I had just stepped into the elevator at bible study but thankfully I was able to keep enough cell service to hear what she had to say. My quad screen had come back abnormal for Down's. It was such a shock. I never gave the test a second thought once I left her office that day. I guess I naively thought nothing could be wrong with MY baby. After lots of tears of fear, worry and confusion, I took down as much information as I could from the doctor and tried to get a hold of myself. We were to go to UAB two days later for a Level II ultrasound, genetic counseling and a possible amniocentesis. My doctor tried to put me somewhat at ease by informing me that the quad screen is simply that, a screening, not a diagnosis. The "normal" range for someone my age and race gives the chance of Down's Syndrome as 1/900. My screening came back with a 1/160 chance, therefore flagging the doctor's to do further testing.
It's amazing how God can work in you in a situation like this. My first reaction was a bit of the typical freak-out when you first hear scary news. But as the afternoon wore on, I just suddenly started feeling a peace about it all. I knew the false positive rate for these quad screen tests were high, therefore the chances of absolutely nothing being wrong with my baby were good. However, it wasn't just thinking about it that way. It was thinking that no matter what the end result is, this baby would not be loved any less. If God chose Blake and I to parent a special needs child, it to me is a blessing in itself that he believes and trusts in us to raise a child with those needs.
After lots and lots of prayer from us and our wonderful family and friends, we went yesterday for our ultrasound, already deciding that an amniocentesis wasn't going to be an option. This procedure entails extracting amniotic fluid from the baby's sac and sending off to the lab to get a more confirming answer as to whether the baby does in fact have a chromosomal problem. However, there is a risk to the baby during the extraction process including infection and spontaneous miscarriage. It wasn't worth it to us to potentially put our baby in danger just to get a better answer.
The Level II ultrasound is a sharper, clearer picture that gives a better visual of the baby. The doctor himself examined me looking for any physical markers of Down's. He checked everything, all parts of the brain and heart and other organs. All appeared perfectly normal. Although all looked well, our risk was only cut in half, giving us a 1/320 chance of having a child with Down's. Like I said, the amniocentesis could have potentially ruled out more and given us better odds if it looked good, but it just wasn't worth it to us. I can't explain how much better I feel about this whole situation. Yes, there is still a chance of Down's but it's not something I feel stressed or anxious about anymore. I will do some research on it to hopefully educate myself a bit more but we are just excited to be having this sweet baby. I'm so thankful for God's perfect peace!
And a little something else we got to find out...IT'S GIRL!!!!! I have had a feeling all along it was a girl but it was still a big surprise to actually hear and see it! Oh my heart is so full. We have our precious boy and now a girl. I keep picturing a little Preston with long hair and a bow, ha ha. It's hard to believe we will be buying PINK stuff. We had a fun gender reveal at our house last night and enjoyed sharing the news about our sweet girl. I made cupcakes with strawberry frosting as a filling for the "gender reveal surprise". Here are a few pictures from our night. And I might add, we are officially partied out now. Whew! I am done for a while...maybe :)
Enjoy!
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