Today's OB Appointment

8-month belly shots


We had another OB visit today. The baby's heart rate was 142 bpm, which the doctor says is good. The baby was in the head down position today, but she is still small enough to move around. She weighs a little over 3 pounds and is about 16 inches long from head to toe. We finally got a good digital camera, so we took a few baby bump pictures/nursery pics. The belly is getting bigger :) Sorry we have not posted any baby shower pics (they are on Kim's camera and we haven't had a chance to get them from her). Anyways, we will post again after graduation (May 10th). Our next OB appointment is on May 15th.

Love,

Lindy, Brian, Addisyn, and Bear

The cat and the baby bump :)

Ms. Annabell (the cat) finds comfort in using the baby bump as a head rest. She purrs really loud and the baby responds by kicking her, but the cat doesn't move. Here are two cell phone pics of Ms. Annabell taking a nap :)

Cord Blood

We have been debating whether or not to store our baby's cord blood. The doctor said the chance of needing the cord blood for the baby is very low, but we would hate to not save it and then realize that our baby could have used it. The doctor said it is a personal choice. She said that you can store cord blood stem cells privately or publicly. Private storage is very expensive (around $1200), but it guarantees the stem cells to be there for us if we need them. Public storage is free (you donate the cord blood to a public bank), but the stem cells are used for people on a waiting list who need it. You are not guaranteed stem cells if you donate publicly. With all this being said, here is a little info on cord blood:

* Cord blood is the blood which remains in the umbilical cord after your baby has been delivered. This blood is rich in stem cells. These cells are the building blocks of our blood and bone marrow. These cells are "master cells". They build our immune system and create components of our blood.
*Stem cells can be used to treat acute leukemia, chronic leukemias, myelodysplastic syndromes, stem cell disorders, myeloproliferative disorders, lymphoproliferative disorders, phagocyte disorders, liposomal storage diseases, histiocytic disorders, inherited erythrocyte abnormalities, congenital (inherited) immune system disorders, inherited platelet abnormalities, plasma cell disorders, and other inherited disorders and malignancies.

Family members can possibly benefit too:
*The baby is the only 100% match for the stem cells, so if the baby needs a transplant the preserved stem cells would provide an immediate and perfect match for her to use.
*Parents, siblings, and other family members may also be able to use these stem cells. Parents and siblings match 50% of the genetic markers of the donor's stem cell.

Anyways, we have looked at several different companies to bank our cord blood with. All the companies have similar procedures. They send you a collection kit that you bring to the hospital; the OBGYN fills the bags in the kit with the blood; a courier comes to the hospital and picks up the kit; you are notified when the bank receives the cord blood and stores it. We have decided that we would like to use AlphaCord. Their fees are not outrageous ($999 for the collection/storage and $99 per year), so it will be $1,098 for the first year and for the collection/storage.

Well we are finishing up with school! We have class tomorrow and Tuesday and then final exams on May 5th and 6th. We are looking forward to graduation :) On Friday (the 25th) Lindy got inducted into the Alpha Kappa Delta Sociological Honors Society. She gets to wear teal-colored cords to graduation for it. We are going to look quite odd in our caps and gowns, which are all black (even the tassel is black). Luckily Brian earned a white tassel that he gets to wear in addition to his black tassel and Lindy will have the teal cords. Strange considering the University's colors are green and gold.

The baby shower last Sunday was a lot of fun. Aunt Denise made an assortment of delicious food, including extra yummy strawberry and pineapple cake :) Addisyn is all set and her nursery is ready for her to come! We only have 9 weeks until she arrives!

We have another OB appointment on Wednesday, so we will post again that day (and hopefully post some baby shower pictures too).

Love,
Lindy, Brian, Addisyn, and Bear

29 wk OB Appointment and Graduation Info

Today we had our 29-week OB appointment. They did the usual: weight, blood pressure, urine sample (to make sure there is no protein in it). The doctor said the glucose test came back fine, however Lindy has a low hemoglobin count (it was a 10 and the doctor said it needs to about a 12), so she has to start taking an iron supplement in addition to her prenatal vitamins. The doctor said that taking an iron supplement will often cause constipation, so she wrote down the name of something to take in case that happens :) Fun stuff!

Graduation is Saturday, May 10th, at 10:00am in the Halton Arena (on UNCC's main campus inside of the Barnhardt Student Activity Center). We were given a limited amount of tickets, but the University will have extra seating for guests who want to come but don't have a ticket: There will be an overflow viewing room adjacent to the Halton Arena where guests will be able to see and hear the commencement ceremony on a 10 ft by 14 ft video screen. All guests without a ticket should check in at the Athletic Ticket Office to be ushered to the overflow viewing room.

This week has been very sad for the family. Kristen and Justin have experienced the loss of their unborn baby and are in need of lots of prayers. We love you and are so so sorry that you have had to go through this.

Anyways, we will post again after this Sunday, which is Lindy's baby shower, and hopefully be able to post some pictures too! Our next OB appointment is May 1st (our appointments will be every 2 weeks from now until 35 weeks when they will become weekly).

Love,

Lindy, Brian, Addisyn, and Bear

Glucose Test

On Friday Lindy had her glucose test. The drink was not terrible like everyone seemed to think. Actually it tasted like uncarbonated orange soda. It was not thick or super sweet. It was actually quite tasty :) After drinking the beverage and waiting an hour the lab technician took some blood and it was all over. We will probably find out the results at our next appointment (next Thursday). Anyways, the baby had the hiccups for about 30 minutes last night. She may have had hiccups before, but last night was the first time we noticed them. We will post again soon!

Love,

Lindy, Brian, Addisyn, and Bear

27-Week OB Appointment

Today Lindy is officially 27 weeks 5 days, so after today's appointment she will be seen every 2 weeks instead of every 4 weeks. At today's appointment Addisyn's heart rate was 150 bpm, which the doctor says is very good. Lindy is measuring 27, so she is measuring right where she should be. Last time she measured 2 weeks smaller, but apparently Addisyn did some extra growing to push mommy where she should be :). In case anyone was wondering, they do check blood pressure and weight every time we go. We won't discuss the weight :) but as for the blood pressure, it is fine. Actually it has been almost the same every time we've been. Anyways, apparently the lab downstairs of the Northcross Medical Plaza closes at 3pm, so they were unable to do the glucose screening today. We have to go back next week sometime and do that (we will probably go next Friday after class because it is the only day we get out early enough to make it there before they close). Our next OB appointment is April 17th at 2:15pm. Other exciting events coming up: Lindy's Mom and Aunt Denise are throwing a baby shower on Sunday, April 20th! Well, we will post again after our next OB appointment.

Love,

Lindy, Brian, Addisyn, and Bear

One Broken Tooth, Four New Windows, and Cookies!

Brian's Window Projects:


First of all, we would like to say thanks to Aunt Denise for letting Lindy take her dentist appointment today :) Going back 24 hours....Yesterday, Lindy chipped her front tooth and was very upset about it. (yes chipping a tooth is a very tragic event for a hormonal pregnant person) Aunt Denise had a dental appointment scheduled for this morning, so she let Lindy take it. Thanks bunches! Anyways, home repairs are coming along. Brian hopes to have all the windows completely finished in the next day or so. Anyways, Lindy's glucose screening was rescheduled for this coming Thursday at the OBGYN, so we will post again after that. Below you will find a recipe for some easy to make cookies! They are so yummy!

Love,

Lindy, Brian, Addisyn, and Bear


Butterscotch (the outside cat lol) he comes in for a nap every now and then:



Look at that ugly chipped tooth:


All fixed- a much better look!



Okay well that is enough gross dental pictures (teeth pics, especially ones from a cheap cell phone camera) are never pretty to look at.

We made these cookies and they are scrumptious! The recipe is very simple too:

Soft and Chewy Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cookies



Prep: 10 min
Total: 18 min

1 pkg. cake mix (vanilla or chocolate- the chocolate makes them extra good, but if you are pregnant you have to use the vanilla because you are not allowed to eat things that taste good lol)
4 oz. (1/2 of 8 oz. pkg) Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place all ingredients in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 2 min. Beat on medium speed an additional 2 min.

Shape into one inch balls. Place, two inches apart, on baking sheets. Flatten each ball, in criss cross patter, with tines of fork dipped in sugar.

Bake 7 or 8 minutes or until edges are set. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheets. Remove, let cool completely.

Makes 3 1/2 doz, or 21 servings, 2 cookies each (yeah right! Ours only made about 15 cookies total. Of course, our balls may have been slightly bigger- oh and some of the batter disappeared while a certain someone was mixing it)

Jazz it up: add 1/2 cup chopped peanuts to dough before shaping into balls and baking as directed. (we have not done this yet!)