34 weeks

We celebrated 34 weeks by having our last ultrasound with Kenzie. It's exciting and overwhelming to know that she will be here so soon!

Here are our last official family pictures with her until Ben comes home to meet her!

I will try to post the other pictures soon!

30 weeks

I hit 30 weeks gestation on Friday! I am counting down the next 9 weeks till we get to meet Kenzie. Although I love the end result, I am thankful that this will be our last countdown to baby!! This body just isn't meant for housing a baby comfortably. I wore Ben's favorite maternity shirt in honor of reaching 30 weeks!!

What is happening in week 28?

I got my hospital parking pass. I wish Lejeune would have had these! I will certainly appreciate not having to walk as far on my bum hip!

I measured fine and her heartbeat sounded great.

My next appointment will be in the brand new hospital on December 26th.

Ben bought us a sit and stand stroller before he left. I have a feeling it will come in very handy! Kymber already loves it!

Kenzie at 27 weeks and 4 days

The kids and I went to see Kenzie today. There is a place in Temecula that offers an ultrasound special for 3 visits for what I paid for one visit in NC!

This was our second visit. One more before her grand entrance!!

She was very active today. Eating  her toes and fingers. Smiling especially when she heard her big sisters talking to her! We saw dimples that I so hope she gets to keep.

The ultrasound tech remarked how much she looks like Kymber and it is so true!!

The best news is that her choroid plexius cyst looks like it is shrinking! The tech said that it is barely even noticeable.

 big yawn!!!

 you can see her dimples in the picture below

 She is definitely a Beach kiddo with the Beach nose!

 eating her fingers in the picture below

 Heartbeat at 154 bpm today

 thumb sucking.....

 yum my foot and fingers taste good!!

 a wave for my adoring fans!

Kenzie at 23 weeks and 3 days.....

Since we are going to see Kenzie via ultrasound again tomorrow, I figured that I should maybe get these shots up for our family to see from 4+ weeks ago.

These are the pictures from the maternal-fetal specialist appointment. I was grateful just to have good news about her and the cyst that I truly didn't expect a cd with the pictures on it!

This first picture is hard for me to tell whether or not she has the Beach or the Spencer nose.

 However in this shot, Miss Kenzie definitely has the Beach nose and looks so much like Kymber!

Until we see her tomorrow.......

27 weeks

And 2 days but who is counting?! We have decided on the name Kenzie for this little gal. (No middle name yet!)

She is very active esp when I lay down. The kids and I will get to see her again on Tuesday during my ultrasound.

I am trying to stay positive but my hip and back are really hard to ignore. At this time, I am doing therapy 3 times a week. Looking forward to holding her in my arms instead of inside my body!

23 weeks baby belly

Looking down on the bump

Week 23 has had its ups and downs but we are so very thankful that it had mostly been ups!!

Choroid Plexus Cysts

3 words I had never heard until yesterday morning at 10:30.

3 words that pierced my heart & mind with worry.

3 words that I will not let define my emotions on this baby.

I will instead focus on......

And this.....

And this.....

And this.....

All of which were in my Facebook newsfeed this morning. Reminding me that no matter what happens in the upcoming weeks, God has this.

So what is CPC?

Basically it is a cyst that occurs in the middle of the fetal brain in the choroid plexus. The function of the choroid plexus is to produce cerebral spinal fluid. The fluid that protects & nourishes the brain and the spinal cord. They are commonly called "soft signs" or fetal "markers." 

1 out of 100 parents share this frightening experience.

If a CPC is found then a level II ultrasound is recommended to look at other abnormalities like the heart, head, hands, feet, or stunted growth. We will be going next week (Monday at 0930) for ours. Your prayers are coveted and appreciated. It is important to have someone trained in looking for all abnormalities instead of a normal hospital ultrasound tech. (I am holding this close to my heart!!)

Once the other abnormalities have been ruled out, there are 2 things to do:

Watch and wait or have an amniocentesis (the only way to know for sure)

Most CPC's resolve by the 32nd week of pregnancy.

If they don't cause any damage, why worry about them?

CPC's have been associated with severe genetic disease called Trisomy 18. 50% of babies diagnosed with Trisomy 18 had a CPC on ultrasound. The risk of Trisomy 18 with a CPC goes from 1 in 3000 to 1 in 300. I refuse to dwell or go into what Trisomy 18 is right now because I am at the limit of my coping abilities.

A CPC diagnosis is scary. But I am choosing to believe our girl is going to be just fine.

Good no Great things in our favor:

1. I know the plans I have for you. To prosper not to harm you.....

2. Both my blood tests for genetic screening have been clear with no risks noted.

3. In the first ultrasound, everything looked normal for the baby except for the CPC.

4. Most CPC's resolve prior to birth 

5. It is a unilateral not a bilateral CPC

6. If a CPC is found with no other warning signs, the outcome is virtually always positive.

What's not in our favor....

1. The presence of a CPC

2. My age

I debated in writing this post. I have been focusing (or trying to) on all of the positives and trying not to let the negative and what if's drag me down.

I do believe in the power of prayer and know that I feel better when I can pray for something specific so for those that know and love us...

Please pray that:

~ I don't let fear rule the rest of this pregnancy.

~ for a healthy ultrasound next week. 

~ for Ben as he has to concentrate on schooling as all this is going on

~ for Kendall and Isaac as I am sure they know something is wrong because of my crying

~ for our little baby 

Love from sunny California.

 

22 weeks

22 weeks was ushered in by the baby's car seat. It's amazing how much has changed in the world of car seats since we have had to purchase one!

I also started physical therapy/chiropractor/ massage therapy for my hip and back. I am remaining hopeful that it will eliminate the severe pain that I have been having.

What's in a name?

We are in the process of trying to figure out a name for the newest gal in our life. Here are a few of our top choices:

Karolina

Kensington 

Kenzie

Kambry

Karsyn

Kadence

Kandace

Do y'all have a favorite?

21 weeks

We got to see our newest addition this week. The hospital completed an in depth anatomy assessment. Our feisty, little gal made it pretty difficult for the ultrasound tech to get all her measurements. But she is healthy with no issues!

Weighing in at about 14 ounces.

Heartbeat 154 BPM

Her hand curled into a fist so she is actually giving you knuckles here with a little gig em' thumb sticking out.

Her feet. They were very active kicking the ultrasound wand during this exam!

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — about the size of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

Thankful

Very thankful that this little gem was only a 24 hour monitor!

No worries  the monitor is standard operating procedure for my pregnancies! I am confident that it will say the same thing that it has since I started having symptoms at 19!

Excited to see little beaner again tomorrow!

19 week belly shot

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of an heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

18 weeks

For our non Facebook family and friends, we found out on Saturday that we will be adding another little girl to the Beach household. We are now working on another K name for this little one!

I am feeling ok. Reflux mostly under control with medication. The only other complaint I have is back and hip pain. I can only pray it doesn't get as bad as with Kymber's pregnancy.

I have only gained 7 pounds this far and I am extremely grateful for that.

Here is our little bean!

Curled up for most of the ultrasound

and her arm over her face too

it's a girl!!

Heartbeat is around 158 BPM

until next time sweet girl