McKinley Beth- 11 Days Til We Meet Her!

On Friday, I was able to see McKinley for the LAST time before we meet her face to face!!! I was ALOT less anxious this time around, I think, because I had been going to the doctor every Tuesday and Friday for the past 3 weeks getting non- stress tests. She had been passing them with flying colors, except for one Tuesday, where she was in NO mood to be hooked up to the heart rate monitors. But overall, her heart rate stays right where it needs to, she moves ALOT and although I have MANY contractions, some of which are quite intense, they do not last long enough for us to be concerned. She needs to keep cooking til the 21st, for sure.

McKinley was measuring 5 lbs 7 oz. The ultrasound tech said that ultrasounds can be off a pound one way or the other. I am hoping she is close to 6 lbs when she is born. I just feel like that is a healthy place for her to start (obviously more is great with me), but again, I have this idea that she is going to struggle to keep weight on, so I want her to start as healthy as possible. Her omphalocele was measuring very close to 5 cm. So again, it is growing, but growing in proportion to her. They still consider 5 cm small. The other mass coming off the umbilical cord is measuring bigger than the omphalocele, but continues to look VERY different than the omphalocele. When Dr. Stanley came in for his portion of the ultrasound, he told me that he really thinks the other mass is a cyst. I asked him what he would do with it, and he said that they would still be VERY careful with it, not knowing exactly how it is connected to the omphalocele. Speaking of the omphalocele... he still did not seem 100% confident that it IS an omphalocele and not gastroscesis. The placement of the umbilical cord is still uncertain. Dr. Stanley said "its going to be like Christmas, like when you open a package and you just dont know what is inside". That is definitely one way to look at it. :) In all seriousness, we feel blessed that he is as laid back as he is. We do take comfort that he assured me that he will talk to me throughout the c-section about what is going on with McKinley, along with sports and cracking jokes. :) I feel like if he thought things could go REALLY bad, we might have different conversations.

We, obviously, think that McKinley is perfect and can NOT wait to meet her. I, personally, am thankful that they are taking her early. First of all, Jackson came early on his own.. and I am not wanting her to come without her whole team of doctors ready for her. Secondly, it is ridiculously hot for June in Oklahoma. The sun and the heat irritate me more than anything. I am praying (in all seriousness) for dreary, rainy weather on June 21st. If, I dont get to snuggle my new baby girl during recovery, I would much rather look outside my window and see clouds and rain instead of the sun. Really, I know I am different than others, but that is how I feel. Clouds and rain= relaxation to me.. and if I am stuck in a bed, unable to see my new baby... thats the weather I want. So if you dont think it sounds too silly, you can join me in that prayer. Definitely not at the top of my prayer list for that day, but its on the list. Thirdly, noone told me about the PAIN that you feel carrying your 2nd child after having a regular delivery. But let me tell you, the PAIN that I am feeling is intense. I wont describe the feeling like I normally do, my husband might kill me for writing it in a blog. :) The pain is definitely worse at night, so sleeping is not guaranteed for me. I know that it is WAY worth it, but I will not miss this feeling.

This last week is going to be busy doing last minute things. It is pretty difficult to plan (actually impossible) for what we are fixing to experience. Soooo.. for me.. who plans for everything is struggling a bit. What we know for sure at this point is that I will be having a C-Section at 730 am at Childrens Hospital on June 21st. Thats it. We have a plan in place for a babysitter for Jackson in Edmond for that first week, so that Mom can be with me at the hospital every day, all day while Craig has to work. (He has off the day that she is coming and then the day that she is having surgery- which we dont know when that will be). We are going to be "go with the flow".

Please continue to pray for our baby girl. Pray for complete healing. Pray that the C-Section goes smoothly, and that Craig and I both experience little anxiety. Pray that we feel totally at peace. Pray that when Dr. Stanley takes McKinley out, the ONLY issue is her omphalocele. Pray that her lungs are strong, that her heart beats like it should, that her kidneys work like they should. Pray that she will be strong enough to have surgery quickly. And that her recovery will be quick. Pray that we can bring her home relatively quickly. Pray for our doctors and nurses. Please just pray.