21 weeks 3 days

Another Clip For You...

This one is a little harder to make out and my camera cut me off right at the end. This is our little WiggleWorm in action! She's kicking and punching and getting all her baby muscles ready for life on the outside :)

21 weeks 2 days

This is our little Drama Queen with her hand on her forehead.
She would NOT stay still so this one's a bit fuzzy! Her legs were kicking, her little arms punching ~ just squirming all over the place!

And S'more of MoMo's Goodies...

A cozy robe complete with a crown on the hoodie!
A little (spring) summer (fall) outfit...gotta love Texas, boy!
Hooray for Daddy!
Brag, spoil, gloat...and notice that does indeed say Grandma, NOT Momo!

21 weeks 1 day

Well, we had our Level II ultrasound today to check on Madelyn's kidneys. Her left kidney looks perfect, but her right one still has a large cyst inside it. Dr. R said that her kidneys are only the size of a quarter right now, so it's hard to say where the blockage is happening until she gets a little bigger. The good news is that she peed a few times while we were watching her and her amniotic fluid was normal, so we know that the left side is working 100%. So, it's going to be a waiting game! Yay ~ more waiting! We will have to see Dr. R (a specialist) every month until Maddie is born so we can keep a close eye on the situation. In theory, the hydronephrosis is benign for now. It could mean surgery for a baby Maddie if complications arise after she's born, it could mean unilateral kidney failure if the fluid continues to accumulate. The doctor ordered that Nonny and I have our own abdominal ultrasounds to check our kidneys and livers, because it could be a genetic cystic abnormality. That would mean a possible liver or kidney transplant for our little girl or dialysis. It could just resolve on its own, although Dr. R mentioned that he doesn't expect that to happen in our case. Essentially, we get to see Dr. B for our regular obstetrical stuff, Dr. R for the monthly monitoring, we have to pick a pediatrician earlier than usual so as to alert him or her of the situation, PLUS we get to travel to Texas Children's Hospital to choose a pediatric urologist to monitor Maddie after she's born so they can assess whether surgical intervention is warranted or not. This is not exactly what I was wanting to hear today, but if there is going to be an issue, this is the one I'd choose to have. All of her other systems looked perfect, her brain looks fabulous, her heart looks fabulous. She weighed ONE pound TWO ounces! Eleven days ago, she was about 12oz, so she is eating well. She has a big ol' belly (like her mommy) and the doctor confirmed that it's because she's getting lots of nutrients (who knew that peanut M&M's were nutritious?!). She's measuring about a week bigger than expected: by the ultrasound dates she'd be due on 12/30/07. It was tough for them to get her measurements because she was wiggling like crazy. She kept kicking at the ultrasound transducer whenever they put it on my belly. I've got it all on tape and three facial profile shots, which I'll post tomorrow. She looks perfect to me ~ ten fingers, ten toes, a chubby tummy, & a button nose...

XOXO

20 weeks 5 days

I thought that I would share some more photos with y'all...

20 weeks 4 days

These are a couple little things I got today. The store had some little crochet Mary Jane's to match the cardigan and cap, but they only had them in bigger sizes. I am SO hoping that Madelyn is a 'Jessica's-side-of-the-family' size baby instead of the gigantic Rittmann babies...otherwise, she may not be able to fit into any of her newborn clothes! Of course, that isn't the only reason I'm hoping she isn't 10 pounds! I bought two little layettes the other day, too, one with a tiny rose pattern and the other has little ruffles over the butt!

We go for our Level II ultrasound on Tuesday, so I'm a bit excited and a bit nervous all at once. I hope the spot on her kidney is gone or that they can tell us some other good news. Hydronephrosis is something typically seen in boys and can (and usually does) resolve on its own. It could mean that she'll need a stent placed into her ureter soon after birth (translation: surgery). If it's bad enough, they may need to place the stent while she's still inside me. Worst case scenario is kidney failure, but that is rare so I'm trying to keep it out of my mind. I never knew I could worry like this...

I've been trying to focus on the happiness of this upcoming ultrasound. They said to make sure I bring a VHS tape because they'll record it at no charge. I'm hoping that means they're going to do a 3-D/4-D scan, but I guess I won't know until I get there! The last of our furniture is ready for us to pick up, so I feel even more impatient to get the nursery renovations on the move. Our garage is packed full (of Nonny's crap), so I haven't a clue as to where we're going to stick all the furniture (and more of Nonny's crap) that now occupies that room.

Baby Maddie is also practicing karate a LOT in there. Jab! Kick! Roll! Jab/kick Combo! I love it...especially when I'm trying to fall asleep at night. She's getting strong enough that I can feel her kicks when I put my hand on my belly. It's amazing to feel...I get more excited every day. I'm still waiting for the hiccups. I think she had them about ten days ago, but I'm not too sure.

XOXO

20 weeks ... still

Ha! I promise that this is the LAST post for today! I had Nonny take this a few minutes ago, as I haven't taken any shots from the front. You can now see both holes from my navel piercing and I'm getting a bubble inside my belly button...slowly making it's way to the surface! My poor tattoo is almost twice its original size!
XOXO

20 weeks 0 days

20 week belly ~ again after a healthy lunch of cheesecake!

19 weeks 6 days

Ok! Due to some confusion about what you're looking for in the picture below, I've drawn the above to help all the older folk find Waldo :)

Yay! The above shot is proof of baby girl parts...the arrow points at Maddie's little package. And look at those cute little buns! :)
This is Madelyn's little foot...a perfect, little foot. Looks like she's got the Kearfott hammer toe...just like her mommy!

I got her nursery bedding and all the matching trinkets, of course, so I'll post those photos soon.

XOXO!

19 weeks 4 days

IT'S A GIRL!!! I can't wait to get her little pictures posted...I'll try to get them up on Monday. Everything looked good except that she has a little fluid on one kidney, so Dr. B wants me to see a specialist for another ultrasound in a week or two. Hopefully it'll clear up on its own ~ I'm not really worried about it.

Well, Grump, I'm glad we didn't make a bet ~ I'd be owing you some money!

XOXO

19 weeks 0 days

Ok! This was taken right after lunch...from now on, I'll stick with taking photos before I eat! Uggghhhhh...

18 weeks 5 days

so, only 6 days left until our ultrasound! I say 'only', but I know this next week is going to be tortuously long. They will not only check Baby's gender, but all of the body systems, too. I'm not really concerned, as my gut tells me Little Turkey is fine, but it will still be nice to know for sure that Baby's doing fabulous in there. I'm feeling him/her move every day, especially after eating or drinking something sweet. I've had a few movements that were down-right painful and sometimes feel like a little foot is nestled atop a nerve or something. Mostly, though, feeling this little one scooting around in here is just incredible. I also purchased all of the nursery furniture (pictured above), which should be here within two weeks. We still have a ton of work to do to get the room ready, but it was on sale! I am my mother's daughter. Love you, ma!

XOXO

18 weeks 1 day ... still :)

I just wanted to share with y'all that Nonny got to feel Baby kick for the first time this evening. We had just eaten some KFC (mashed potatoes & gravy) and Popeye's (chicken - waaaay better than KFC) and I was laying on the couch with his hand on my tummy. As quickly as Baby kicked me, he said: "Oh, I felt that!" It was pretty friggin' neat.
XOXO

18 weeks 1 day

Only 10 days left till our sonogram! I am so excited to see Baby Rittmann ~ there is nothing more awe-inspiring than seeing him/her dancing around in there. Unfortunately, I think that someone keeps tinkering with all of the clocks, because it seems as if time has come to a crawl for the last two days.

XOXO