Never a dull moment at the Perinatologist

Here's a little background: At 10 weeks, a Perinatalogist did a second ultrasound to confirm the twin thing. She measured the fetus of the non-surviving twin and said it died at 7 weeks according to the measurements. At that point it was diagnosed as Vanishing Twin Syndrome, and I was told the baby would be absorbed by the body, not miscarried, because it was an identical twin. Today I went in for another appointment (I'm now 18 weeks along) and the non-surviving fetus had grown to measure 11 weeks. It had a bone structure, spine, etc. I have now been diagnosed with Twin Reversed Arterial Perfusion (TRAP). The non-surviving twin does not have a heart or a brain, but will continue to grow because the surviving twin's heart is working extra hard to support another fetus. Unfortunately, this causes extra strain on the healthy baby and this baby still has a 50% to 75% chance of not surviving. I will be going to a Perinatologist weekly so they can keep a close eye on the progress or degress of the healthy baby. If the baby starts to show signs of decomposition or strain of the heart due to the other fetus, I will have to be flown to Florida to have neo-natal (is it neo-natal?) surgery performed to tie off the other umbilical cord in the womb. At this point, the twins had shared the same placenta, a normal umbilical cord attached to the healthy baby and another umbilical cord had grown off the first to support the second fetus. This fetus is only getting used blood from the baby, so the baby is getting everything it needs plus is supporting another fetus. So, why not just get the surgery now? Well, if I have to have the surgery, it puts me at risk, the baby at higher risk of not surviving, my future reproductive system at risk, and pre-term labor at much higher risk than it already is. I had thought the fetus would quit growing on its own, but not so, I guess it continues to grow to delivery, which is unfortunate for the healthy baby. Our baby is perfectly healthy at this point - everything measured perfectly, but it is at much higher risk for being very premature and having cardiac failure in the womb. If you have any questions, let us know, I'd be happy to ask the doctor. I've included a link to help explain what is goin on. Click on the title of this blog - "Never a dull moment . . ." - to link to the website.

First Day of School

It's our family's first day of school ever! Dekan did fantastic - no problems whatsoever. He was excited, but not too excited; nervous, but not too nervous; and he gave us all a hug and kiss and said he'd miss us, but didn't try to leave with us. Who knew he was so well-adjusted? I almost lost it give him a hug good-bye, but wanted to stay brave, so I held back the tears. They have a Boo-hoo breakfast at the school after drop-off for the parents - cute idea. We'll miss you Dekan.

Well, it finally happened

About a year after we had Dekan, Dave made a discovery about his name that we were a little ashamed of - his name spelled backward is naked. Well, with school approaching he's been trying to make an extra effort to read. With all these letters swirling around in his head, the other day he asked, "Mom, what does my name spell backward n-a-k-e-d?" So, I told him that it spells naked. I thought perhaps he might be upset about it, but he just laughed and repeated it over and over. We always thought he wouldn't find out until someone in school figured it out, but he figured it out himself. Crazy kid! He met his teacher on Thursday and thought she was great, so I think things will go well when he starts Monday. I can't believe Kindergarten is a full day! We don't get to see him until almost 3pm! What's a mom to do?

Our trip to Arkansas!

We recently returned from a family vacation to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Unbeknownst to us it was the boyhood home of President Clinton, home of the smallest National Park, and we stayed at the largest gated community in the country - just north of Hot Springs. We stayed at a two story town home cabin thing in the woods - it was marvelous. We got to have a sort of camping trip with the family while being able to travel to a town to do things if we wished. The community had swimming and miniature golfing and a whole lot of fun activities. We fished, and Dekan and Dave both caught fishes - we just had a great time. The boys shared a bed, but they did great. We will probably go back, and we will stay in the same area, there weren't many places that looked very appealing to stay in Hot Springs itself. Besides, this place was much cheaper than a hotel anyway, and it had a kitchen, 3 sleeping areas, and a living room.

We took a duck tour around the city of Hot Springs - the boys loved it. The duck is a WWII vehicle that drives on the street, then goes in the water. The tour guide was very funny, and we learned a lot about Al Capone and an escape route he used to take from a casino on one of the islands when it was raided. Apparently, the area was a favorite place of other gangsters including Bonnie and Clyde, Jesse James, and others. One picture is of me and the boys next to Al Capone at the Wax Museum.

The day after we got home, it rained and rained and rained. Our park flooded - it was neat! Unfortunately our power was out for 9 hours because of the multiple lightening strikes near our home, and our computer hasn't been functioning properly since. Oh well. Hard to believe but this used to be the pond and the street next to the park.