Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Almost here!

Just a quick post before the big day!  We're very excited and very ready to get this show on the road!!  I had my last appointment with Dartmouth Hitchcock this morning.  Everything looked good!  She's feeling extremely heavy...definitely time for her to come out! 

So the C-section is scheduled for 10:30am...we have to be there at 8:30am to get ready etc.  So please keep us in your prayers as I'm sure we'll be feeling both excited and anxious! We will be sure to have everyone updated as soon as we get a chance to update!  Can't wait to see what miss Gianna looks like! :)

We are open to visitors coming to see our little GEM but just ask that you please call before you come to ensure it's a good day to visit and that we're actually there.  We also ask that you do not bring any children with you as it is a NICU and there are other sick babies very susceptible to things and space is very limited.  We also ask that if you feel that you may be coming down with, just recovering from or have a household of sick people that you reschedule your visit to ensure that little miss Gianna and the other babies don't catch anything.  Thank you!!

Looking forward to entering this new chapter of our lives!

Until next time...
KEM

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

36 week visit!

So we had our 36 week visit yesterday!  Kind of uneventful which is definitely a good thing!  We mainly spent the day at Brigham with a lactation consultation with Children's in the morning.  The meeting with the lactation consultant was really good.  It made me feel like I will have a role to play in Gianna's recovery.  They really encourage moms to breastfeed/pump, as breast milk is so good for the baby and her digestive health.  Where her digestive system is going to be one of her main concerns, the stomach intestines and liver being outside of her body it'll be really good to give her the best source of nutrition.  It will be really good for me as her mother to feel like I am doing something so good for her so I am excited about that.

After that we went over to the Brigham and met with one of the NICU doctors who just spent a few min with us going over the plan for Gianna if she needs to go up to their NICU before heading over to Children's.  Most likely if she does have to go up to their NICU she'll only be there for about an hour or so. 

We then had a little lunch and went in for our ultrasound...my favorite part!  Our little lady is looking quite beautiful! :) She has cute little chubby cheeks and a cute lil button nose!  She kept moving her hands up around her mouth and squirming around.  I think she's ready to get out of there and meet mommy and daddy! ;) The results were really good and nothing new to report.  They don't know her weight because of the omphalocele but they think she's on the smaller side. She certainly doesn't feel it!!

Our last appointment was our meeting with one of the Nurse Practitioners to go over the plan for the C-section.  It has been scheduled for 3-31-11 at 10:30am!  They want us there at 8:30am to get all prepared etc.  She went over differen't things to expect etc.  So if all goes as planned and miss Gianna doesn't decide to surprise us, we'll be having a little girl two weeks tomorrow!

We're doing good and trying to stay busy!  I'm still working and will be until March 25th...next Friday.  It's getting a lot harder to get around and move! Dan has been wonderful making sure all my needs are met and helping out so much with day to day tasks! God blessed me with such a wonderful husband!

We're trying to stay very positive and very focused on God's will for us and Gianna.  With Him all things are possible!  He has been so good to us and has strengthened our faith in Him.  Keep those prayers coming!

A couple weeks ago my work threw me such a beautiful surprise baby shower!  I was truly shocked and overwhelmed with everyones generosity, love and support! Thank you thank you thank you for all you do...you are all in our prayers! We recieved many gift cards which will help us so much with gas, food, parking etc. and everyone bought Gianna a book!! I have a big box full of books for her and am so excited to bring them to the hospital with me and read to her!  We also recieved some other precious and beautiful gifts that will be such keepsakes for her!  Thank you again to all!

I've been going for Non-stress tests once a week to keep an eye on Gianna and how she's doing and we are also seeing Dartmouth every other week for regular check ups.  Other than that not much new to report!

Hope everyone has a wonderful St. Patrick's Day! The only drink I'll be having is a root beer or ginger ale! ;) Gianna likes those the best anyway :-P

"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."
James 1:12

Next update will be soooo close to her being here...or may be after she is already here!! Can't wait! :)

K.E.M