Baby news - taking the good with the bad

So, the fun news is we had another ultrasound on Wednesday. On my way to pick Chad up from his job to go to the appointment, I felt for the first time what I finally knew for sure to be the baby kicking or moving. It was amazing! I was so excited to feel it move on the very day we were going to find out it’s gender. And we’ve been so anxious to find out if it was a boy or girl so that we can really start looking into baby names with confidence. Well, the ultrasound was very clear in the gender department. It’s definitely a boy!

See, it's a boy! XY!

Here's his little foot!

And here he is!

And now, for the bad news: The ultrasound was also very clear that our baby has a congenital heart defect. Unfortunately there is no question or mistake about this fact. The ultrasound doctor (Dr. Bobrowski) told us immediately after the ultrasound that they didn’t like what they were seeing with the baby’s heart and that she wanted to send us to see a Pediatric Cardiologist who could better determine what they were seeing and give us accurate information. So, in a panic and a daze we rushed over to St. Luke’s hospital where we met with Dr. Womack. Unfortunately, after doing his own lengthy ultrasound on the baby’s heart, he confirmed the existence of the heart defect.

Dr. Womack explained a lot of things to us: At this stage the baby’s heart is only about 1cm big (that’s tiny). For this stage in the pregnancy (18 weeks out of 40) we are getting a very good view of the baby’s heart, however, it is still too tiny and too early to establish exactly what the problem is. At this point Dr. Womack thinks it is most likely one of two possible diagnosis: Truncus Arteriosus or Tetralogy of Fallot (possibly with Pulmonary Artesia). If you plan on looking these up on the internet – STAY ON REPUTABLE MEDICAL WEBSITES ONLY such as the American Heart Association’s site. The doctors warned us over and over about all the websites with misleading and incorrect information that will do nothing but scare us (more) and misinform us.

The diagnosis above are confusing, ‘scary as hell’ words, believe me, I know! But, essentially, what all the ultrasounds are showing is this:

A normal human heart has 4 different chambers (two atrium and two ventricles, one of each on each side of the heart). Thankfully our baby seems to have developed all four chambers and they are proportionate to one another (this is a VERY good thing!!!!!)

The problem is the two arteries (aorta and pulmonary) and how they are connected to the heart. In a normal heart the pulmonary artery attaches to the right ventricle, comes up, splits in two, and supplies blood to each of the lungs to be oxygenated. The aorta attaches to the left ventricle and supplies oxygenated blood to the body.

In our baby it appears that there is only one giant artery attached to the center of the heart. It appears that the giant artery is the aorta and that the pulmonary artery might be attached to the side(s) of the aorta somehow. Put basically, our child’s ‘plumbing is hooked up wrong’ to the heart.

Truncus Arteriosus on right (AO= Aorta, PA= Pulmonary)

Tetralogy of Fallot on right

Dr. Womack reiterated with us that the heart itself seems to be developed fine and it appears to be strong (he’d be a lot more concerned if one section of the heart was underdeveloped/smaller than the others). Our baby just has a plumbing issue that needs to be fixed. He said that as far as the heart itself is concerned, it’s been working and developing this way for 12 weeks now and there is no reason to believe that it should suddenly stop or that we cannot take the baby to full term. However, the baby will need heart surgery after birth which will have to take place in a bigger city (Salt Lake, Portland, Seattle…) that has specialty surgeons. More than likely this will happen within the first two weeks, but definitely within the first three months of life (the sooner the better actually). Remember, babies are built to do biology! Dr. Womack said a newborn baby undergoing open heart surgery actually probably has a better shot at surviving than we adults would. Biology is their specialty.

According to doctor Bobrowski, everything else in our ultrasound appears to be developing according to normal and nothing else appears to be wrong or indicating that anything else is wrong (another very good sign). It also helps that no one can think of anyone on either sides of our family that has had any major birth defects of any kind.

Side note: apparently the number one birth defect in newborn babies is heart defects (1 in 100 births), which means they have lots of specialists and unfortunately lots of practice at fixing such defects

What caused this?
There is a 96% chance that this is nothing more than bum luck and that something just went wrong in development. The other 6% chance could be a chromosomal abnormality or a genetic problem (part of a gene code being deleted). Unfortunately, if the heart defect is caused by either of these two issues it means our baby has a lot more serious problems than just a bum heart. Because we are trying to stay positive, I will not go into the ‘what if’s’ in these two scenarios. We will discuss and cross that bridge only if we have to.

So, to determine if the heart defect is linked to a chromosome or a genetic problem I had to undergo an amniocentesis yesterday. Amniocentesis is a procedure in which a small amount of amniotic fluid, which contains fetal tissues, is extracted using a needle from the amniotic sac surrounding a developing baby. From this fluid the fetal DNA is examined for genetic abnormalities. (Not as horrible a procedure as I had imagined, but certainly not fun either) The results on this test will take about 10 days. (Yeah, the waiting game!)

I am off work for the next few days as a precaution after this procedure (not a great idea to be stressed out, lifting heavy objects in the extreme heat after they’ve inserted a giant needle into your belly).

Quality of life?
If we are only dealing with a heart defect the doctors said that there is no reason to assume that our child cannot go on to live a pretty normal childhood and adult life. They said that we certainly won’t have an Olympic or endurance athlete on our hands (okay with me because being the parent of an Olympic athlete sounds like a lot of work!), but there is no reason to assume that our kid won’t be able to run around playing tag, hiking, and riding bikes with other kids. Of course, there will be physical limits to be aware of which vary differently with each child, but a doctor can help us figure these out and help us to raise a kid with as strong a heart as possible and a fun-filled childhood.

Please keep us all in your thoughts. Chad and I are doing pretty well. We’ve had some good cries (I’m sure there will be a few more) but we’ve decided that we’re going to expect this kid to be fine after a rough start at life. Think positive everyone! We truly do appreciate everyone’s concerns and support and we are open to answering any questions if we can. We have decided not to wallow in self pity and expect to continue on with life as normal. So… keep inviting us to do things, keep calling, come over, and don’t feel awkward around us! We’re strong and this kid is too dang it! (I’m not giving him any other option!)

Isn't he adorable! Looks like a fighter to me!

P.S. I feel him kick quite a bit now which is very reasuring to me.

Front Yard Yardwork!

So, I know I've been bad about posting yard pics, so... here's some before and after pics of the work we've done on the front yard up to this week. We've added a lot of plants to fill out our Xericscaping and we put some bark in the plant areas. It'll help hold in the water and it really makes the plants pop out. I'll add some more of the backyard soon hopefully.

First, here's a couple of pictures of the original front yard for anyone who never saw it. There was a huge arborvitae bush that blocked a good third of the house on the South side. This was the first thing we ripped out (Chad had to use the winch on the jeep to get it out!) Also, notice the huge unhealthy pine tree that we had to rip out. We've since replaced it with a beautiful Corkscrew Willow (I even named him 'Corkscrew Willy').

This picture of the front was taken after the arborvitae bush was removed. The arborvitae bush extended from the left hand side of the house, covering the first set of windows!

Since we live on such a busy street we decided to Xeriscape the front yard. This makes it both very beautiful and incredibly practical. Xeriscaping is a form of 'dry landscaping' that utilizes little water and emphasizes the use of native plants to an area, or plants that have the same characteristics as native plants. It is also low-maintenance (no grass to mow!)

The above pictures were taken from the front steps looking towards the road.

These pictures were taken from the sidewalk looking towards our house.

And finally, here's adding the bark! Don't the plants just pop out!?!

(That's Corkscrew Willy behind me. Isn't he cute?)

Since these last pictures (taken on Friday) we've added a couple more plants to the corner behind me in the last photo and we finished barking the other plant areas. As nice as it looks, we still have quite a bit more work, but we're getting there. I'll try to post pics of the backyard when I get a chance.

Boise Hawks Game

On Wednesday, June 17th, the Morris clan helped the Boise Hawks Baseball team open their Baseball season. Grandma and Grandpa Morris treated almost the entire Morris clan to a wonderful evening of dinner, visiting, and Baseball cheering! They bought tickets for everyone with the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans group that night. It was great. We got a very filling baseball-style dinner complete with hot dogs, hamburgers, coleslaw, potato chips, pop, and sherbt. Yum! And on top of that, we got a free Boise Hawks Baseball cap!

Darlene, Dean, Grandma and Grandpa Morris

Back: Dallas, Sara, Roz

Middle: Darla, Todd,

Front: Jolene, Danielle

The three goofballs: Sara, Roz, Nicki

The Hawks started the game strong, but then Eugene tied up the game towards the end. Thankfully, the Hawks pulled out a win with a Home Run in the bottom of the Ninth! (Yeah, no overtime!) I personally believe it was due to such a great crowd that attended to cheer them on... but they might disagree. Also, after the game we got an amazing fireworks display to end the evening. It was wonderful. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Morris!

Two Yahoos!

17th Annual Sawtooth Relay

This last Saturday (14th) we were part of an amazing team that joined the Sawtooth Relay! This is a 62 mile relay race from Stanley all the way over Galena summit to Ketchum Idaho. Anyone who has driven this section will know that this route is nothing to scoff at!

Our team was named Psychic Sweetpants. Yep, that’s right. Psychic Sweetpants! The name was based on a couple funny incidents of misread words (namely physics and sweatpants). The team was a coed team consisting of our friends Tanya, Monica, Sumer, Cori, Mary, and Chad (yes, Chad was the co-ed part of the team). Each member of the team ran two different legs averaging a total 10 to 12 miles per person for the day. Our friend Sharene was the van driver for the runners for the entire day, and I was a volunteer at one of the relay stations. Each team had to provide a volunteer in order to participate. Basically, I spent 4 hours flagging vans and SUVs into parking spots while protecting people from being run over (kind of like at my job only with cars instead of airplanes).

Friday night (the 13th I might add), the day before the race, Monica, Tanya, Chad and I drove to Stanley where we camped for the night in Monica and Tanya’s Westfalia van named ‘Thelma’. We only got a couple hours sleep before waking up at 1:30am. We quickly ate breakfast and were on our way to meet the rest of the team at their hotel. Since I did not have to start volunteering until 8am, I took over the comfy hotel room (lucky me!), getting a few extra hours of sleep while the rest of the team headed to start the race. Their start time was 3:45 am!!!

Sawtooth Mountains in Stanley

Can you see the skull in the snow above the cabin?

Tanya, Monica and Chad teeter-tottering the night before the race!

Overall the race went very well. The weather was perfect (warm and sunny)! Everyone ran according to their projected times and the team as a whole came in about 10 minutes earlier than expected. They ran for almost 10 hours! It sounds like they had a great time during the day. A few mishaps along the way, but all laughable. Thankfully, after my volunteering I was able to beat the team to the finish line by a mere 5 minutes and got to take pictures as they crossed the finish. After the race, they provided food, drinks, and music for the participants and their volunteers. We also got free shirts as proof of the accomplishment. (My shirt of course says ‘volunteer’, so there’s no false bragging on my part)

Look, Chad's running so fast he's blurry!

The view from part-way up Galena Summit.

Chad again. Running like a champ.

Mary, Cori, and Monica crossing the finish line!

Sumer, Tanya, and Chad crossing the finish!

Cori, Mary, Sumer, Monica, Chad, Tanya. What a group!

Once we were done eating we all headed back into Stanley where we got a suite in the Mountain Village hotel that slept all 8 of us. A few of us even utilized the private natural hot springs owned by the hotel. It’s an enclosed natural hot spring located right by the stream that runs through Stanley. The building has big barn doors that can be opened to give a wonderful view of the Sawtooth Mountains while you soaked. It was beautiful! We also enjoyed watching a momma fox and four of her pups running around and playing on our way to and from the hot springs.

Overall, it was a great adventure. Who knows, perhaps we’ll do it again next year. Maybe then I’ll be able to run in it.

Baby Bump 1

Not much really, but here's the first evidence of 'baby bump'. This picture was taken on June 2nd (sorry I was slacking on posting this) which put me at about 15 weeks along at the time. I'm now offically 16 weeks along out of 40 - EEEK! Only 168 days to go (or so...) We'll post another pic here sometime soon.

Hopefully the next pictures won't make me looks so pale too :-)

Billings, Mt

This weekend we headed for Billings Montana for Chad’s Grandmother Evelyn Schwend’s funeral service. She was 88 years old when she passed away. She actually passed in late April and was cremated, but the ceremony wasn’t until June 7th, the anniversary date of Bill (Grandpa Schwend) and Evelyn’s wedding (1946!), where their ashes were joined together for burial after 20 years of being separated by death. Bill had died in 1988. It was a very nice outdoor service held in Bridger, Mt, where Bill and Evelyn had lived for several years. The cemetery was beautiful, filled with lots family and friends, and the weather was great!

The cemetery in Bridger.

Reunited at Last!

Chad, cousin Karma, Michelle, and Kristian

As I had been told a few times before, it’s true that that area of Montana is actually ‘Schwend country’, as was proven at the Bridger cemetery. There were many headstones with the name Schwend on them! And there were plenty of Schwend relatives at the service. We’re really not the only ones!

So…. on Friday, Chad and I had flown to Seattle, where we met up with his sister, Michelle, and her soon to be stepson, Kristian. From there we flew to Portland and then on to Montana. (Quite a day for Chad and I flying ID to WA to OR to MT!) We arrived Friday night and met up with many members of the Schwend family who were staying at the same hotel as us in Billings. Chad and Michelle got to catch up with their Uncle Steve and Aunt Verna (great people!) along with many cousins they hadn’t seen in over a decade and I got to meet them all! It was so wonderful and they were all so welcoming and kind! It’s hard to believe I’m just now meeting them all! Besides at the funeral service, most of the visiting took place at the hotel pool. It was an indoor, heated pool with two waterslides! Boy, were Chad and Kristian all over that! We all spent hours at the pool! It was quite fun to watch (no, I did not swim). Sometimes I think the adults were having more fun than the kids!

The 'Adult' cousins: Chad, Liza, and Janelle

Kristian

Saturday, the first half of the day was spent at the service and the reception. Then we returned to Billings for a few hours of swimming and later, we all went out to dinner at Fudruckers. Uncle Steve and Aunt Verna graciously treated everyone to dinner which was particularly nice of them since there were so many of us AND it was also their wedding anniversary! (Yes, they shared this wedding anniversary with Bill and Evelyn.) This was their 39th Anniversary! It was so sweet of them. After dinner, of course, we all returned to the hotel pool.

On Sunday morning, the four of us were up early for a return flight to Seattle where we said goodbye to Kristian and Michelle, and Chad and I returned to Boise. All in all, it was a very quick trip, but well worth it. It’s nice to know that Chad’s grandparents are finally reunited and it was so nice to catch up with and meet the Schwend family!

Second Doctors Visit

We had another doctors visit today and everything seems a-okay. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat again!! It's beating strong at 156 bpm - only slightly slower than the first heart rate taken. Seems like the kid decided to be cooperative today because the doctor was shocked at how quickly she found the beat.

Also, for everyone that seems to be overly concerned about the physical labor at my job, we talked to the doctor about it again today. She reiterated that as long as I don't feel like I'm hurting myself, I'm fine. She said that physically lifting all that luggage will NOT harm the pregnancy, at most it will just harm me (not the goal either of course, but the worst case scenario). She said that it is pretty much up to my judgment as to when I need to go on light duty, and I promise to everyone that I will pay attention and not do anything to overdo it. Everyone at work has been very helpful and protective since they heard the news and they've all been wonderful about helping me work on flights with lighter loads.

Third Anniversary

Believe it or not, but today is our Third Wedding Anniversary! Three years ago today a small group of us was gathered in a canyon in Leslie Gulch Oregon for a very special, very beautiful day! I will always remember how truly wonderful it was! I can't believe how fast time flies though. And now, in our third year of marriage, we're going to become a family of three!