Pictures of Sweet Pea

As for an ultrasound update baby is looking "happy and healthy"... those were the exact words of the doctor who spoke to us yesterday afternoon. Sweet Pea's heart looks great and they could see all four chambers. There was one concern as they found a "marker" on Sweet Pea's brain called "choroid plexus cyst" which is just a collection of fluid in the part of the brain which makes the fluid that cushions the brain and spinal cord. The "cyst" is a small build-up of fluid as it moves through the connecting tubes. As the baby grows so the tubes get bigger, and the fluid moves on. CPCs are almost always gone by 24 weeks and do no harm to the baby's brain (found this information from a google search). The concern was that CPCs are sometimes an indicator of a chromosome abnormality (less then 1% of the time). My reason for not updating yesterday was that I needed to see my doctor to find out the results from the other tests which combined with the finding of a "marker" make up a calculated "RISK." I got in to see my doctor this afternoon and he is not concerned at all. When a baby has a chromosome abnormality there is usually several signs and Sweet Pea is perfectly formed except for this little build up of fluid. We will be having another ultrasound around 28 weeks to make sure growth is normal and everything else continues to look good... mostly it will be another reassurance for us that everything is fine.

We specifically asked not to be told Sweet Pea's gender though we did keep our eyes open during the scan. Sweet Pea was hiding her parts well so her gender remains a mystery. Her heart rate today was 144bpm... which continues to be consistent with David and Noah. It was nice to get to watch her moving around... and I look forward to seeing her again in the new year.

19 week Ultrasound

Yesterday was the beginning of our 19th week of pregnancy and this afternoon we get to go for an ultrasound. Right now Sweet Pea weighs about 1/2 lb and measures approximately 6 inches from head to bum. In two more weeks she'll weigh almost 1 lb and measure 2 inches longer so she's got a lot of growing to do. We are very excitted to get to see her again... it has been 7 weeks since we saw her for the first time but today we are looking forward to taking home our first pictures. Unless something comes up this will be our last sneak peak before baby arrives, although with David and Noah I did have ultrasounds at 35 weeks so it could be that another one comes up. Sunday marks the 1/2 way point in a 40 week pregnancy but hopefully Sweet Pea will come just a little bit early like her brothers did. Yes I am saying "she" and "her" and NO we don't know the sex of the baby and we are not planning to find out until "she" arrives. I will continue this post with an ultrasound update when we get home from the hospital but our appointment isn't until 4:30 this afternoon.

Trick or Treat

David learned how to say "trick or treat" just in time for Halloween. After wrestling with him to get his costume on in the car in the parking lot Grammy and I took David trick or treating at the mall. It took a few times for him to get used to the strangers giving him candy but he did eventually warm up a little. After 15 minutes he was ready to move on, probably more because the mall was so crowded. After the mall we made a quick stop to see Great Grandpa and Great Grandma and then we went home. We had planned to meet Katie (and Jen&Aaron) at a different mall later in the afternoon but David missed his nap today despite much effort by myself, Jonathan and Grandpa Rob. By 2:30 he was so grumpy that I knew he wasn't going to hold off that long. We were home by 5:00. As you can see from our pictures he made the cutest little dragon. He actually likes wearing his costume as long as it's on his terms but today he was especially difficult. He wouldn't put on the first pair of pants I chose either. I guess that's why they call them "terrible two's" and for the most part it is a wonderful time but today was typical "terrible"... all in all we have been enjoying him a lot lately... he's using new words every day which I especially like. Jonathan is spending Halloween night at work so hopefully he is having a fun Halloween, hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable evening.

Pumpkin Fun

A few different pictures for you from this week. Some of David and Jonathan enjoying a sunny fall day in the backyard. Some of myself and David carving our pumpkin. We had lots of fun taking out the guts and seeds... I forgot how much fun that is. Also a few 18 1/2 week pregnancy shots. We will try to get a good 19 week pregnancy picture to post with Sweet Pea's ultrasound picture on Monday.

Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday we went to the Pumpkin Patch with Jen and Katie. There was lots to do including hey rides, live children's music, choosing a pumpkin to take home, and farm animals to view. We chose a big pumpkin which I later regretted having to carry it around for the rest of the morning. BUT when we got home David helped me wash it. Tuesday we will probably gut it and then carve it while David is sleeping. It was nice for David to spend time with a friend his own age. Katie held his hand right away and then spent the rest of the morning keeping track of him when he would wonder off... cute. It was a great day for it and there wasn't too much mud considering we were on a farm but David did definitely manage to break in his new boots.

So we had a great morning at the Pumpkin Patch and we ended the day off well too. I had made baby cupcakes for a shower I attended last night and to say that David enjoyed them would be an understatement. He had just prayed for his pizza about 5 minutes before dessert but he was so thankful he prayed again... twice.

Maui Updates Complete

Sunday morning (Oct. 19) at 7:30a.m our flight got in from Maui. We began our vacation on October 9th arriving very late in the evening and enjoyed 9 full days of family vacation. We stayed at Napili Shores and enjoyed Beach & Pool access. It was a great location because we didn't have to go far to visit 2 other near by Bay's. I've written a few drafts already to tell you about our vacation... WHICH ARE NOW COMPLETE! Please continue to read about our vacation.

Body Surfing (ouch)!

October 14th was the second day of 2 days that was really wavy. Since we couldn't snorkel I decided to try body surfing. Dad (Rob) and Jared were doing it and it looked like fun. (At the time I sort of forgot that I was 16 weeks Pregnant).

It actually is fun as long as you get up before the next wave hits. It's a bit of a process because one wave brings you in and then drags you back out if you aren't fast enough. I was doing well until the waves got a bit bigger and closer together (sort of like contractions *smile*) then I didn't have enough time to recover in between and to top it all off my wrist cord got tangled around one of my legs.

Needless to say I ended up flopping around like a pregnant beached whale while wave after wave crashed on top of me and then dragged me back out... until I managed to untangle myself and stand up again. I was alright just got a bit of a sand burn and swallowd a bit of ocean. Didn't catch it on video though I am sure it was a sight to behold... you will have to ask everyone who was too busy laughing to help me (thanks honey). But here is a short video that Grandma Unger did get of my attempts. If Sweet Pea loves the ocean she has me to thank.

the Beach

Spending time at the Beach was great. David loved playing in the waves and in the sand. We went to the beach every single day of our trip except for the very last day because it was a bit rainy and most of our stuff was packed for our flight home. The first few days David would line up at the door first thing in the morning with his wet suit and sand toys... so cute even though we were luck if it was 6a.m.

the Pool

The Pool was another great pass time. If we weren't at the beach we were either napping or at the pool. Our sliding glass door faced the pool so it was nice and close. We did have to keep a close eye on David who learned how to unlock and open sliding glass doors during our vacation. Thankfully he learned this after the time I went to the Beach while he and Jonathan were napping. David got out of bed and saw that I wasn't in the living room so he went back to get Jon and said "no mommy." I'm just glad he didn't come looking for me. But now we know to watch him more closely. It was neat to watch David's progress at the pool from the day we arrived to the day we left he became much more comfortable. He would even put his face in the water for Uncle Jared. I might have to do swimming lessons with him again in January as he hasn't gone since he was ten months old.

Maui Ocean Center

Here are just a few of the pictures we took while visiting the Maui Ocean Center on Friday, October 17th. This was are only major excursion on our vacation and it was definitely worth the time and money. If you go to Maui with your family take your kids! Even if you go without your kids I recommend it. It is a great way to see Hawaiian fish up close. Beautiful! David absolutely loves fish so he ran around the whole day saying "SHISH" excitedly... so cute! He got a little bit over excited at the "touch and feel tide pool" and picked up the star fish he was petting and was a little too restless to sit for the shark feeding but other then that he did really well.

We love to Snorkel!

Now I mentioned in our "Maui Ocean Center" entry that was the only major excursion we did during our Maui vacation... so what did we do with the rest of our time? Three things... Beach, Pool and Snorkel! One of the firs things we did when we woke up the first morning was pick up our snorkel gear from "Snorkel Bob's"... Jonathan rented a prescription mask this time so that he could see everything perfectly and since I already have a mask and snorkel I just picked up flippers (which really help... we didn't use them last time). We snorkeled in 3 different Bay's, 5 days out of our trip. We had the equipment rented for 7 days but 2 of the days were way too wavy to snorkel. The main Bay we snorkeled at was Napili Bay... the beach right near where we stayed. We also snorkeled twice at Kapalua Bay and once at Turtle Bay. All 3 bay's had turtle's and we swam with them at each bay. David even got to see a turtle up close because there was one that stayed in a little tide pool area where he could stand with Grandpa Rob and watch. At Kapalua bay we saw a sting ray 3 different times but I think it was the same one and Jonathan saw two octopus. Turtle bay had the prettiest reefs but was the most dangerous to get in and out of. The water in Turtle Bay is deep so the coral stays beautiful. I liked different things about all three Bays so I can't say which is my favorite but our first day at Napili beach a huge turtle swam right beside me and that was really neat.

Most of the pictures were taken at Kapalua Bay but I think the one of Jonathan was taken at Napili.

Our Third Wedding Anniversary

Well some of you already know that Jonathan and I spent our third wedding anniversary in Maui with Jonathan's parents, brother and Grandmpa and Grandma Unger... oh yeah David too. We actually ended up celebrating just the two of us on the 16th (which happens to be our 4 year dating anniversary) rather then the 15th because I had a 24 hour sinus infection on the 15th and was feeling too miserable to go out (sinus infection probably resulted from my attempts to body surf on the 14th) anyway that cleared up quickly and we celebrated the following day by going to Whaler's Village and having dinner at Leilani's. We had planned to eat upstairs where it is a bit fancier but when we looked at the menus we both had a hankering for fish and chips (which was really good) so we ate downstairs and watched the sun set.



Today we are celebrating our third wedding anniversary. I wish that every year we could celebrate with another ceremony and lots of food and dancing. This year we get to celebrate in a very fun way but I will write more about that in a few days. Happy Anniversary Jonathan. "I" still "do" and I always will.

Sweet Pea's Heart Beat

We had a doctors appointment today, and everything continues to look good. Nothing abnormal showed up from the special blood tests we had. We have a second set of blood test on the 9th... testing the same things just at a different stage and then next up is our ultrasound on November 3rd. When I see my doctor next I will be in my 20th week... more then half way through our pregnancy!
Last night we had roast beef for dinner and I was able to eat a good size meal without feeling sick. Night time is the worse for my nausea so this was a bit of a milestone. I am hoping it is the first of many nights that I am feeling much better. Usually nausea does ease up at this stage of pregnancy so it is a good sign that I am getting over it.
I was happy to find out that I have only gained 1 lb since my last appointment in September. I have to monitor my weight a bit closer this time because I hadn't lost all my pregnancy weight from Noah when I got pregnant with SweetPea. That is one thing that the nausea has been good for. Not to worry... I put myself and baby first when it comes to nutrition. I just try to eat well and get some exercise. I am walking at least twice a week now and will be starting prenatal water aerobics at the end of the month.

Congratulations Marie and Jody!

Last night I dreamt that my cousin Marie had a baby boy. This morning I found out that she did! Congratulations Marie and Jody on the birth of your son!

Welcome Joseph into this world and into our family!

Joseph Mervin Halverson

September 22, 2008

5:15 PM

8 lbs 3.5 oz

20 inches tall

Precious Pictures

Today I went to my first "Precious Pictures" event at Canuck Place. I scrap booked 2 memory pages for the Canuck Place album. It was a bit difficult to photograph my pages but it gives you an idea. I was hoping to work on Noah's book but it took the entire time to do these two pages. Next time I will be able to work on his book if I havn't finnished it yet. The event is held every 3-4 months and I want to finnish Noah's book before Sweet Pea arrives. I've actually got a whole list of projects I would like to complete while my hands are free so I've got to get started.

Seeing Sweet Pea

This morning we had a "nuchal translucency" test by ultrasound to determine if Sweet Pea is likely to have trisomy 13. The nuchal translucency measurements were normal, reflecting that of a healthy baby. Along with the ultrasound they did a blood test on me "integrated prenatal serum screen" and I will have to have a second sample taken on October 8th. We should have those results back October 20th and our 19 week ultrasound is booked for November 3rd.
At this point the only thing causing us any concern is the statistic of our chances to conceive another trisomy 13 baby being 1 in 100. After seeing Sweet Pea swimming around this morning and having the results back that everything looks good we are feeling confident. We will certainly be worrying less then if we hadn't had the test or if the test had given us cause for concern. We know that many of you will be rejoicing with us as you hear this good news. Please continue to pray for a healthy baby and pregnancy.
Another bit of information... Sweet Pea's heart rate is 146 bpm which is the exact same as both David and Noah. While heart rate does not accurately predict gender we couldn't help but feel that we might have another little boy on our hands. Also our Vancouver Sun article was posted on a door at the hospital so it was kind of funny to run into our picture.

Big Boy Transition-Phase 1 Complete

I thought it was time for another David update. He is growing so fast right now I can't possibly keep up but we have had a major milestone and I will share a few smaller things as well. Phase 1 is no more bottle! I thought this was going to be a lot more difficult then it was. We cut him down to half a bottle at night time a few months ago now and would occasionally give him the other half if he woke up too early in the morning. As of our trip to Shuswap he hasn't had any bottles at all. I packed one of the bottles he used to use because I didn't want to bring liners which we were using for his current bottles. I warmed up his milk and tried to give it to him in the "old" bottle and he didn't want it. So that whole weekend he had none. When we got back we decided that since he went all weekend without a bottle that was it... he was weaned. After a few fussy nights we settled into a new night time routine.

Phase 2- Potty Training. We have been working on this on and off since before his 2nd birthday. Since I became pregnant it has been "off" because I have been tired and my nausea has been far worse this time then with David and Noah. David has also become less willing to participate. So when I am ready for a difficult few weeks I will give it another try (hopefully one last try) but I am not sure if that will be before or after Maui.

There are so many funny and special times we have had with David recently. Our first night at Shuswap after we tucked him in he stole both of our pillows and brought them back to his bed to sleep. A few days after we got home I told him it was time for his nap and next thing I knew I couldn't find him anywhere. I looked and looked until I saw a puff of blond hair sticking out from between the couch and the book shelf... he was hiding quite successfully.

He has become a cookie monster for sure. He asks for cookies throughout the day and if mom says no he either persists or finds another tall person who can reach the cookies.

New words every day... new songs and games to play. He is our Joy.

Vancouver Sun

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are on the front page of
The Vancouver Sun today. Click on the photo to enlarge if you want to read the article.

The Sweetest Sound...

Some of you may have noticed the countdown near the bottom of our blog, others have heard from us or from someone else and some of you may be finding out for the first time as I officially blog that Jonathan and I are expecting our third child.
We thought "Sweet Pea" was a little more charming then "it" or "baby#3" so that is what we have named baby for the duration of our pregnancy.
Yesterday we began our 11th week, Sweet Pea is the size of a large lime and growing fast. We had a doctors appointment today and everything looks great. We even got to hear the sweetest sound... Sweet Pea's heart beating. I know there are a lot of people anxious to find out if Sweet Pea is a boy or girl but we have decided to keep that a surprise. So everyone including us is just going to have to wait until Sweet Pea is born.

Weekend at Shuswap Lake

This weekend we made a quick trip up to Shuswap Lake. It was actually both our first and last trips of the year. We had such a crazy summer we didn't think we were going to be able to make it out but we are really glad we did. David had such a nice time being the nature lover that he is. As you can see from the pictures he got to see some ducks up close, help with the fire, make bubbles, cut the grass and walk the dog... among other things. I think he most enjoyed sitting next to the water throwing rocks in. He would sit there forever singing to himself... it was so cute. His most recent song is "Happy Birthday" and he practices throughout the day. This is David's 3rd year at Shuswap... my 4th... probably Jonathan's 20th. Here are a few pictures of David at Shuswap his first two years...

Mommy's "Time Out"

Sometimes mommy's need a time out. This weekend I got mine. Friday evening I left for Victoria by myself (this is key). I went to visit my friend Theresa and her two kitty's as well as the puppy she was babysitting. I think this helped the fact that David wasn't around because there is never a dull moment with 3 small animals running around! We rented a couple of movies, ate out and went shopping. What more can a mom ask for when she needs a break. I was originally only going to spend one night but I phoned on Saturday and David didn't miss me yet so I thought I had better stay another night. This was great because I was also able to go out for lunch with my friend Del who I don't get to see often enough (thanks Del). I had a great weekend. On the way home last night I bought David this captains hat and since I don't have any pictures of my weekend away I thought these pictures would go along excellent with my post.