We have kept busy so far this summer. We haven't done anything fancy or super exciting, but it's been fun. Some of our activities include making mini cakes and decorating them, painting picture frames, trips to Goodwill, swimming lessons, karate and cheerleading classes, playing on the Carl's Jr. playground, Princess Night at Chick-Fil-A (complete with free pink sundaes, stuffed toys and photos, and miniture pony rides), playing with cousins and aunts and uncles, swimming, swimming, and more swimming, shopping for discount baby items, trips to the library, playing computer, video and board games, and more.
And on some random notes, Ken brought home a children's version of Monopoly a few weeks ago, and the kids played for five minutes before growing completely bored. Maybe we'll try again next year when they're a little older.
I asked Ellie today if she was excited about having a new little brother soon or if she felt jealous. She admitted honestly that she felt a little jealous and was worried that Alan would love the new baby more than her. I assured her that her big brother would always love her, which made her feel a little better.
This 'lil dude in my belly is VERY active. At all hours of the day and night I feel punching, kicking, and tumbling. It seems that he pretty much never sleeps. Despite the constant movement, I still hold out hope that he will be a good sleeper as a newborn. After the likes of Alan and Ellie (who were insomniacs from day one), Ken and I deserve at least child who is a good snoozer!
I'm getting my second sonogram on Monday morning. I'm hoping that everything looks okay on this one. I found out that along with my low amniotic fluid volume, the baby has a choroid plexus cyst in his brain. This can be an indication of chromosome problems (rarely) but can also be completely harmless. The cysts are found in about one percent of infant brains in utero. The doctor said that everything looks fine with the baby, which means that everything should be okay with his health. I still worry, but prayer has brought lots of comfort. I'm just anxious to get the ultrasound done. We're no strangers to pregnancy scares though. When I was pregnant with Alan, I was told that there was a good possibility that he would be born with Tisome 18 (my AFP test was positive). The doctor that gave me the results said that this meant he would be "born without a brain and probably wouldn't survive long past birth." They sent us to genetic counseling and suggested that I get an amnio. We knew that even if he did have Trisome 18, we wouldn't abort, so we decided against the amnio. The next day they did a ultrasound which revealed a perfectly healthy baby boy. We felt so blessed and relieved, but the whole experience scared the heck out of us!
My mom and Lana are flying home from Idaho this Saturday. I'm so grateful that they've had a chance to visit Celeste, Scott and Bethany. Abby, Jessie, and Josh will be here this weekend too, which means we'll have a full house, which Alan and Ellie love!
