A Sigh of Relief!

I am so relieved that I can finally say that we are expecting a healthy baby boy this August!

Backing up a bit, we found out at our routine ultrasound (20+4 weeks) that our sweet boy looked great, except for one thing - they saw that he had choroid plexus cysts in his brain.  These cysts in no way interfere with normal brain development and are found in the part of the brain where cerebrospinal fluid is made - so no big concerns there.  The reason that these cysts can be concerning is because they can be a very weak marker for trisomy 18, which is not compatible with life.  My OB doctor, plus the high risk OBs that I work with downtown all said the same thing, "Don't worry about it - those go away, and they very rarely mean that anything is wrong."  Honestly, even Google was reassuring when I decided to read a little more about this so-called 'meaningless' finding. So we tried not to worry, and for the most part Ben and I both kept a positive attitude that our baby would be just fine, and that the follow up ultrasound was just another excuse to take a sneak peek at his sweet face!  On the inside, I was in constant turmoil.  The thought of losing this baby that we wanted so badly was almost unbearable.  My rational mind knew everything would be just fine, but that didn't stop me from worrying and making completely morbid and nurse-like comments to my family and friends. :)

So here we are, exactly 4 weeks later, and the ultrasound confirmed what my rational mind already knew: the cysts are gone, and my baby boy appears to be perfectly healthy!  And not surprisingly, he is measuring a week ahead already - so I am prepared for the possibility of another big boy!

Meet Dylan Thomas Havens :)  The ultrasound was not supposed to be 4D, but after the 'official' stuff was over with, the technician flipped the screen and I got to see our little man a bit more clearly! I think she felt badly for making me nervous from the results of our last ultrasound!

We officially named our baby boy last night!  We expect to meet Dylan Thomas on August 20th, when we are tentatively scheduled for a repeat c-section.  He may have other plans for us, so we are willing to be flexible with his birthday!

People ask us all the time how Noah feels about being a big brother, and honestly, he couldn't care less!  He loves babies, though, and he has been known to obsess over making a crying baby happy by bringing it toy after toy after toy.  He also loves to hug babies and pat their heads, so hopefully he will feel the same way when he meets his little brother!  He will also lift my shirt and kiss my belly if you ask him where mommy's baby is, but I think that for the most part this whole 'baby brother' thing is way over his head!

 A few more pics from the museum on Monday: Noah climbed in here to drive all by himself!

Driving the airplane while Scott and Cam ride behind him :)

Playing with a stick at Nana and Papaw's

Latest OBSESSION! "hands! hands! hands! please! please!"  He loves doing dishes and washing his hands.  Several times a day he will grab a chair from the kitchen table and drag it to the sink, then climb up and beg to have me turn on the water.  His big cousin, Ty, used to LOVE doing this as well - so we took a page out of Aunt Renee's book and quickly learned that we have to set the timer on the microwave.  When the timer goes off, the water goes bye-bye and we are all done.  The timing process makes for a tantrum-free transition!! :)