24 weeks!

Hello Everyone!

GREAT NEWS on this week's post! Last week, Mommy got test results regarding Cystic Fibrosis and Cytomegalovirus (CMV). We tested NEGATIVE!!!! HOORAY!!!!!!!!

Mommy has another ultrasound to check to see if her cervix is still dilating on Tuesday! Then in 2 weeks, Mommy and Daddy go to Fargo for another ultrasound to see me! Progress is being made!

Now, onto me! I am 24 weeks today! I am about the length of an ear of corn. Perfect for the upcoming 4th of July weekend! Mommy hopes she can have some corn-on-the-cob grilled this weekend! Sounds nummy! I should be tipping the scales at about 1.25 lbs. My lungs will continue developing until I greet the world but a big step has been made...My alveoli are developing producing surfactant! That means I am learning to breathe! Of course its not real breathing yet, just practice since I live in fluid...
My eyes are fully developed though I cannot yet open my eyelids. I do respond to light and dark and when I get to the point where I can open my eyes in Mommy's tummy, I still wont be able to see anything. That's perfect though, because my first sights will be on Mommy and Daddy! My brain right now looks like a complete mature brain too! I am going to be so smart! I am starting to get into movement patterns and Mommy sure notices. I am a pretty active little kid! I enjoy using her insides as a punching bag. Mommy told me she doesn't mind :)

One exciting/scary note concerning 24 weeks. I could potentially be born and survive! It would take extensive neonatal intensive care but it is possible! We all pray that I stay cookin' as long as possible. I like it in Mommy's tummy! Mommy and Daddy are relieved that we have at least reached this point. A HUGE accomplishment! This is starting to set in to both Mommy and Daddy that I really could potentially arrive now at anytime and so more movement has definitely begun on home improvements and everything me!

Mommy and Daddy have been working very hard on figuring out what to do with my nursery too! Mommy has FINALLY picked a theme. Well, she doesn't like calling it a theme because she doesn't want it to overpower my whole room but we all enjoy Owls! Mommy's sister-in-law, Auntie Erica to me, will be making all of my crib bedding! How awesome is that! Auntie Erica is VERY talented and does a lot of sewing for fun. Mommy and Daddy went to the fabric store and picked out ALL of the fabrics and we are all really excited to have a homemade one of a kind set. What an amazing gift my auntie is giving me! Paint colors have been determined...Wall art ideas are being thrown around...Mommy has been busy working on design ideas and Daddy approves of it all! Mommy and Daddy also found my Travel System, Playard/Pack 'n' Play, Swing, High Chair, and all of my nursery furniture pieces! It is all coming together! Mommy has pictures of everything at the end of the blog!

Mommy is feeling pretty good lately! Aside from all the stresses, she really is feeling great. Physically it is becoming harder to move around but she is managing. At work, her boss has provided her with a cutting stool that she can sit on and perform services. It is difficult to get used to after being trained to be on your feet all day, but she is getting used to it! It's better not only for Mommy but for me too! Emotionally, Mommy is okay. Jack, completely on accident, got a hold of a blanket from Mommy's childhood. 2 inches of a decorative trim got a little shredded and Mommy burst into tears. She is noticing her emotional ups and downs and is trying to keep them under control. Daddy has been extremely helpful and VERY understanding and supportive when Mommy has her 'down" points. Mentally, Mommy is doing good too. She is a planner and it has been fun for her keeping her mind active looking for everything concerning me! She is starting to get scared about me coming, but knows that you are never ever 100% ready. Mommy just cannot wait and knows that Daddy and her will work together and find the perfect ways to care for me!

Daddy is doing great too. He continues to be the brains of our "Horton Operation". He is very busy at work, and keeping very busy around the house. Like I said earlier, now that I could come at anytime, it kicked him into high gear! Trim work has now been officially measured, painted and will go up in the next 2 days! We are having a general contractor coming out soon to discuss our needs for windows and related repairs! Both Daddy and Mommy were extremely busy super cleaning the house this weekend, all motivated by Daddy! Daddy also has been a great help by having an opinion on all of "my" stuff. I.E the nursery and everything that comes with it. Even though design, color, and pattern aren't on the top of his concerns he knows it is important to Mommy and always has an opinion! Mommy appreciates it! Daddy rocks!

Well family and friends, until next week!!!

Love to you all!

Baby Elliott

Here are the latest belly pics! 6 months along at 24 weeks!

I sure am starting to pop out!!!




Here are some pictures of all of the stuff Mommy and Daddy found for me!




My Nursery Collection!

My Crib

My Rocking Chair!

My Dresser!

My Changing Table!

My Bookshelf!

My Travel System and Playard/Pack "n" Play! It is Graco-Carlisle. Isn't it nice!?

Here is my swing!

Here is one last picture as a teaser for my "OWL" inspired nursery. Enjoy!!

 

Lastly- Just want to shout CONGRATULATIONS to my 2nd Cousin Hailey Danielson for arriving today! Cannot wait to meet and play with you!!! Love, Elliott

23 weeks/ 6 Months!

Hello! Hello! Hello!

Mommy is here to write this blog, seeing as it will be short novel! Here we are, 23 weeks/6 months in. 17 weeks/4 months (if timing goes "normal") to go. It has gone by quite fast really! Both Evan and myself welcome it, because the sooner we can see our little man the better!!  It has been a very overwhelming couple of weeks since our last update and knowing it was a big appointment I held off last weeks update to include it in this one.

Elliott measured 1 lb. at our high risk ultrasound! SO EXCITING! He is right on track with his growth. Go Baby Go! He can be compared to a large mango or papaya! He also is just under 1 ft. long. It is SO crazy to think I have something that big inside of me! Lovin' it. Elliott is moving a TON! We can see and feel him so strongly and its so exciting. He has started a pattern of sleeping during the day while Mommy is working and then being very active at night! Just recently he has been strong enough to wake me up out of a dead sleep.

Elliott's ears are continuing to develop and he can hear muffled noises well. I haven't felt him get startled from Jack barking or me scolding Jack so I am not sure if he is already used to it or it might not be strong enough to get through to him. However, when I was watching/listening to my favorite show Glee, I notice his activity goes up. I think he enjoys music! YAY! He will be another little theatrical kiddo, just like Mommy and Daddy!

Elliott's face also is completely fully formed. We SAW it. The technology they have right now is utterly fascinating. Before we had our trip to Fargo, many clients told me we would be seeing Elliott in 3D vs. just the standard 2D black and white. At first, I didn't realize what I was looking at and Evan looked back at me back and forth a couple of times and then it clicked. That was our little boy. Staring right back at us. It was AMAZING. Here is the first picture and sights we had of him.

Look right at the center of the picture. That is his nose. From there you can see one of his eyes, cheek and the tip of the top lip. He was extremely active during our ultrasound and that is why you see those random other figures. I think that is why it took me so long to realize what I was looking at!

To continue and tell you about our Fargo experience...

At our last normal doctor apt./ 20 week ultrasound, our doctor and ultrasound tech had some concerns about Elliott that they wanted us to have checked our further. Elliott has an Echogenic bowel. This means that when the ultrasound tech is looking over our little guy, his intestines and bowel are "reading" brighter than they should. We are told this is an area of concern. It can resolve itself by the time he comes and commonly it does. In some cases, it does not and Elliott might be whisked away to have surgery right after he is born. We can only wait and see.

What causes and Echogenic bowel? Good question. I am still trying to sift through the huge amounts of information but here is what I can give you so far.
-A blockage/build up of meconium-can be repaired
-A build up caused by Cystic Fibrosis
-Intrauterine Infection by a virus or other pathogen. CMV-cytomegalovirus.
-Chromosomal Disorders-Down Syndrome-Trisomy 18-Trisomy 21

Have no idea what that means? Kinda us too. My blood has been tested to see if I am a carrier for Cystic Fibrosis- a disease that affects the lungs and pancreas. It creates buildup of excess phlegm and mucus and can be a very challenging disease to have. The buildup then goes into the digestive system and affects the intestines. Because they see a blocked bowel, that is why we are being tested as it is a sign of CF.

CMV is a virus that affects me that in turn will affect Elliott. It is respiratory inflammation causing me to have fevers, rashes...other things. I have not had any symptoms but that is the problem. Usually they are so mild they go unnoticed. This is cause for concern because if I do have this, it hurts Elliott a lot. They measured his head to see if it's growth was on track, which it was. If it wasn't it could be an issue of concern. CMV can cause disruption of brain development, deafness, convulsion of the brain, delayed growth...We will continue to monitor this more in ultrasound by measuring his head. We are awaiting the results of this blood work as well.

Lastly, Chromosomal Disorders/ Trisomy 18/ Trisomy 21. In easier terms, Down Syndrome. Elliott's echogenic bowel is a soft marker for Downs. He also is showing signs of "sandal foot" which is a soft marker for Downs. Sandal Foot is a larger gap between the big toe and the smaller four. For those of you who don't really know much about Down Syndrome or what causes it you are not alone. What causes Down Syndrome is simply an extra chromosome at #21. We are all normally given two, and when you have downs you have a third. People that have Down Syndrome has very defined physical characteristics that I am sure you are all aware of already. Furthermore,  Downs causes mental delays. Does the "threat" of Elliott having Down Syndrome scare us? Yes, it does...but not for any reason other than the fear of not being able to provide him with the care he needs. It does not change anything about the love we have for our son.

These are all just things they look for. Does this mean that Elliott has CMV, CF or Downs... We don't know right now. He could, but we are awaiting confirmation from blood work first. If I test positive in my blood work, Evan has to get blood work taken. From there, we will determine if we will go through with having an Amniocentesis. An Amniocentesis is an invasive procedure in which they stick a hollow needle into my abdomen then uterus collecting amniotic fluid. They then test the fluid that has sloughed off cells from Elliott and see if anything comes up. From my understanding, even the results from the Amnio can be wrong. Evan and I have discussed this procedure a lot and we really DO NOT want this. As I already said, it really doesn't change anything for us if he has these issues. The only way that we will go through with this test is if his or my health is in serious need. We do not like the invasive nature of the procedure and risks that can come with it. It just doesn't seem worth it to us.

Lastly, I have been diagnosed with an incompetent cervix. I have started dilating, and have been told I must have well defined periods of rest. In 2 weeks, I will return to Fargo to see if I have continued to dilate and from there we determine if I need to go on bed rest/can continue working/may need to have a "cerlage"...Not very excited about this but it is really serious. We are not too far away from the point where they say a fetus is viable. That happens at 24 weeks. I just don't want him out yet. He needs to stay cooking so I have been resting as much as possible. If you all have been reading since the beginning, you may remember about my Bicornuate uterus. They think that this is causing the issue. We just have to let time pass and see what happens.

So! There we have it people. We have a LOT going on right now. It has totally been playing mind games with us because in most cases...all of the information they throw at you can be thrown right out the window when he is born because he could be completely normal. They have to do their jobs by telling us but it still is overwhelming. Evan and I are each others support right now and have been resting on each other during this time. We are just too excited about having him that nothing that will plague Elliott will change our love for him. We are taking this day by day, week by week, month by month. Please pray that we can continue adding weeks onto his development and that he does not come early. Please pray that I do not have to go on bed rest and that I stop dilating. Please pray for Elliot's health. Please pray for Evan and I. Please just Pray!!

Talk to you all next week. I meet with our regular doctor on Wednesday and we will be further discussing everything that is going on. I then go to Fargo the next week, and then its back to Fargo again in another 2 from then. Many updates to come!!!

Love to you all-

The Hortons

Here are our pictures from our last ultrasound. Some are 3D, some are 2D! They are not 100% clear because he was moving a lot. There seem to be things in the way but that could be his umbilical cord, or moving amniotic fluid creating weird additions.

Belly Pictures to be posted tomorrow or next week!

3rd picture down/1st 3D: Yes, that is his foot by his head :)
6th picture down/ Last of 3D: That is how Elliott was hanging out the whole ultrasound. He is resting in my lower right side completely bent in half. He LOVES it there. Our tech, Laura couldn't get him to spread out at all!
Leading to our last picture. Because he was completely bent in half, he gave us a very good shot of his "boy stuff"!!! He is totally a man because his hand is right by his junk too! Typical Boy! Daddy said, "That's my boy!" when we saw this picture...go figure!

21 weeks!

Hello Family and Friends!!!

Elliott here! I am SO ready to update you on all my new beginnings!

Right now I am about the size of a Banana!! Length wise at least. I approx. weigh about 3/4 of 1 pound and am very soon to be a whole pound big! I am a growing boy and a strong one too. Mommy tells me that :)

My taste buds are starting to develop and I am tasting whatever Mommy eats about 2 hours later. I swallow the amniotic fluid I am swimming in all day long and it is helping me practice for when I greet the outside world. When Mommy was home last for memorial day she had a lot of yummy food. I think I like Chipotle, Noodles and Company, Davanni's, and will LOVE cheesecake factory! :) :) Mommy has been eating as healthy as she can for me and it was fun to get some new tastes!

My hearing is also developing! I can hear the swishes of mommy's tummy and her blood flowing as well as her heartbeat. I can even hear when Mommy and Daddy talk to me! I just cant wait to see their faces when they are talking to me!

I have fallen into definite sleep patterns at this time as well. I sleep for about 12-14 hours at a time and then I awaken! Boy, can Mommy feel me a lot more now when I am awake too. Daddy has felt me multiple times now and Mommy is starting to feel me higher and higher in her abdomen. Mommy even saw her belly move today! I AM SO STRONG! Mommy was so excited and a little taken a back. Just you wait Mommy, you'll see me moving a lot more coming up!!

Mommy is feeling a lot better than she has in the past weeks. She has gotten more energy back, but is really finding it difficult to sleep, get up from a chair/couch/floor, and work. The other day at work, mommy was so busy and was on her feet nearly all day without being able to elevate that her foot got stuck in her shoe! UH OH!! She says it was her own fault because she wasn't wearing the best option of shoe, but still! I am sorry Mommy! Mommy only can wear her maternity clothes now too. Officially none of her old pants fit. Mommy likes it though because she doesn't feel constricted with her clothes and its very nice!! Mommy also has been scouring the Internet looking for bedding sets, nursery furniture, travel systems and a lot more. She says she is overwhelmed by the amount of choices but she is excited to get my room started!

Daddy is doing well too! He had a great time when we went home for Memorial day. He is busy back at work of course and continuing his schooling. At work, Daddy and his coworkers participated in an  "Iron Chef" competition. Sadly, they came in 2nd place but Daddy said it was rigged. I believe him! When Daddy cooks for mommy, it tastes SO good to me!! Daddy is very busy planning out our next couple of months with our lives, finances, and home endeavors. We have a plan and that's good!

This weekend Mommy, Daddy and I are heading to Devil's Lake, ND for a wedding of a friend of Mommy's. Mommy is doing her hair for her big day! We have never been there so we are all excited. The following week is my appointment with the high risk doctor down in Fargo. I hope everything is okay with me! A lot of Mommy's clients are saying that she will probably get 3D pictures of me. Mommy and Daddy are excited about that because they were planning on going to do that for a special occasion. Its a double edge sword though because of course they want everything to be A-OK with me and the reason is because something might not be :( I think I will be okay though. I will prove it!

Alright everyone, until next week! Happy June!!

Baby Elliott