A milestone met

I can now say that my second child will be bigger than my first.  At 22 weeks, 1 day, this baby is weighing in at 1 lb, 6.5 ounces -- 2.5 ounces heavier than Truman did at birth.  Also, my cervix is now longer than it has been my entire pregnancy.  Here's looking forward to another milestone in a week when I have passed Truman's gestational age.

Another week down

Baby Update
Another week, another good prenatal appointment.  We had our 21-week appointment on Monday.  My cervix is down slightly, but still in good range.  The baby is growing well and now weighs in at 18 ounces--just two ounces shy of Truman's birth weight.  We also had a great appointment and sonogram with Truman at 21 weeks as well.  It was sometime between then and 23 weeks that things went south.  So, keep your fingers crossed that we can get past these next couple of weeks without a repeat.

Truman Update
Truman had his 5.5 year weight check on Monday as well.  He weighed in at 35.3 pounds and 41 inches tall -- still below the charts for his age, but acceptable progress.  His pediatrician is once again suggesting in-patient feeding therapy, but by this age, that means in-patient without mom and dad for at least two weeks, then only once daily visits from mom and dad for the next three or four weeks.  He's going to do some research for us to see what the options are.  But, I've already decided he is simply too young for that sort of time away from us.  We'll just have to keep slugging through for now.

For fun, I thought I would share a couple of recent Trumanisms:

Upon seeing his brother's 20-week sono: "Why he is naked?"

While looking at a small bust of Mozart he insists on keeping on his nightstand: "Mozart wrote boootiful music, but then he died.  Daddy and me didn't get to meet him."

Here we grow

So, it's been more than a year since I posted. It's time to get back at it, as we are approaching a point in the Price family where friends and family may want to get more current updates. Before we get to that, however, first a Truman update.

Truman is now 5-and-a-half and in his first year of kindergarten. He is attending Moss Haven Elementary in its Preschool Program for Disabilities Kindergarten program this year and spending about half his day in mainstream kindergarten. After spending much of the first semester dealing with behaviorial issues, Truman has settled in well and is focused on all academic goals this semester. He will be fully mainstreamed next year, only qualifying for speech as a special service. Everyone is comfortable that there are no cognitive delays and that he is an extremely bright and capable boy ready for kindergarten. He loves school.

He still struggles with handwriting and other fine motor and sensory issues and is back in occupational therapy for those issues. Eating is still a major, major issue, and Truman to be very small for his age, weighing in somewhere around 33 pounds and measuring about 41 inches. Truman continues to be a very happy, energetic, and witty boy. He astounds us regularly with his perceptiveness, intelligence, and musical aptitude. He is into pretending, pirates, boats, Star Wars, trains, and cars. He had his first lesson on riding a bicycle yesterday. He is playing soccer and enjoys the kindergarten choir at church.

Now, for the Price family news. This family of three will be a family of four later this year. We are currently expecting our second son due July 29. We are hoping for a full-term baby, but our first goal is to make it to April 26, which is 26 weeks. I am currently 20 weeks, 2 days pregnant. The baby is measuring at 21 weeks, 3 days and weighing in at 1 pound. Considering Truman was big for his gestational age at birth, we know that every ounce counts.

It has been a long road getting this far. We learned that not only do I suffer from incompetent cervix that caused Truman's early delivery, I also have an autoimmune issue that causes miscarriages (but that doesn't have any negative effect on my non-pregnant body). So, after four miscarriages, this pregnancy involved significant intervention with a reproductive endocronologist before to ensure the healthiest possible start and has had huge intervention since becoming pregnant. I underwent five rounds of intravenous immune suppression infusions during the first trimester, had a cerclage procedure at 11 weeks to sew my cervix closed, and have weekly sonograms to check cervical length. I take daily blood thinner injections in my belly, which is standard protocol for anyone with recurrent pregnancy losses, as well as weekly progesterone injections given by the doctor to prevent contractions. I am already on modified bed rest due to fluctuations in my cervix and on many other precautions. So far, I am holding strong with the cervix in a safe zone in terms of length. My latest measurement was 3.8 centimeters. I am currently in the riskiest portion of my pregnancy. If I can make it to 26 weeks, the risk will decrease significantly.

Truman is very excited about becoming a big brother. Once he learned about three weeks ago that he was getting a baby brother, he has been telling everyone, asking lots of questions, and seems very interested in all the details about the pregnancy and preparing for his baby brother.

As we navigate through the riskiest portions of this pregnancy and count down each day to reaching full term, I thought it was an appropriate time to begin regular blog updates again.