Still No Baby

We went to the doctor again on Tuesday and she said we'd made a little progress, but not enough to consider induction. I got to see "Magnus" practicing his breathing which was pretty neat. I also tried to figure out the best days to try and encourage the baby to make his entrance. I would really like to have my doctor deliver. She said that if I don't go into labor before my next appointment, then we'll start making some plans for his delivery. That'll be next Tuesday. So, we are just waiting now.

I've had a nice almost two weeks off from work and have been able to rest, read some, and take plenty of naps.

Jamie's mom, Gramma Sara, has been here and won't let me us do the dishes and has helped to take Moose for the long walks he enjoys so much. She has set a pretty high standard for future guests!

We hope to have exciting news of a healthy baby boy to report in our next posting. Thanks for all the well wishes!

No Baby Yet

So last week we got a little jolting news that we might need to induce. That'll really kick you into high gear. Thankfully, today when I went to the doctor, she told me that the fluid levels that they'd been mildly concerned about were back in good numbers--mostly due to the fact that when I am not at school I can drink plenty of water, relax, and sleep. So the progress today was limited. I was 1cm and 50%, for those of you who are knowledgeable in the whole baby-havin' category. The process of collecting that information was, let's just say, less than ideal.

Mother-in-law/ Gramma Sara is very excited I think that it looks like the baby will not beat her own arrival to Charlotte, which is slated for the 23rd of May. Grandma Judy will be here to visit on June 10, and Auntie Anna sometime in the later part of the summer. Beyond that extended "aunts" and "uncles" from out west have made plans to visit when they can to meet the little guy.

And his name will be...
Seriously, did you think it'd be that easy?

Well, that is about all for now. Jamie, Moose, "Magnus" and I all hope you are doing well. We will send e-mails and make phone calls when we get a chance after the baby makes his appearance.

A Little Something for the Swedes...

Our Swedish friends told us a funny story about Spring in Sweden. After all of the days of darkness, the people of Sweden are overly excited about every little sign of Spring. The first flowers of the season are front page news and it is often a primary point of conversation. So, for our dear friends hugging the Arctic Circle, here are some pictures from our Spring in Charlotte. We've been in bloom for over a month now (not to brag).

Click on images to get a bigger view

Nursery Updates

Last weekend, we were overwhelmed with the generosity of our family and friends. While Leslie Peters, Penny Peters and Sara Goguen hosted a baby shower for Maija, Poppa P surprised me with a Dude's shower/cook-out at his house. It was a great Saturday afternoon for all involved and little Magnus now has even more great outfits, toys, bouncy seats, etc. He's only lucky little dude. All this love for him, and he hasn't even let out his first "coo". We are very thankful to have such wonderful and supportive family and friends. Thanks to everyone. Without further rambling, here are some new photos:

Here I am posing with the new bookshelf that Poppa P built. At Maija's shower, all of the ladies were supposed to bring their favorite children's/baby books. Many of those have already populated the shelves of this Poppa P original.



Moose and I are trying to decide how we feel about these little diapers.




We got LOTS of duck themed gifts. People know us very well.

Dr. Perez - Children's Urologist

First off, thank goodness for insurance. We've seen more than our fair share of doctors during this pregnancy. The latest was Dr. Luis Perez. He's a children's urologist. He runs his own practice in Charlotte called Children's Urology of the Carolinas. He'll be treating Magnus' Multicystic Dysplastic Kidney (MCDK), learn more about MCDK here. We love Dr. Perez. He was wonderful. Maybe it was just because he was giving us some pretty good news, but more likely it was his intelligence, calm demeanor, and laid back personality that won us over.

We first learned of Magnus' cystic kidney about 10 weeks ago. At the same time that we learned he was a boy, we learned that he was going to need special tests to diagnose the cause of the cystic kidney. We've had two appointments with Dr. Allbert. Dr. Allbert is an obstetrician who specializes in prenatal ultrasound diagnosis and he was the first person to diagnose Magnus' condition. He was able to confirm that the MCDK was only impacting one kidney (right side) and that based on the level of amniotic fluid, he was able to surmise that the left kidney was working well. "What does amniotic fluid have to do with kidneys?" you are probably asking yourself. Well, after the first few weeks, amniotic fluid is made up almost entirely of baby pee (not to be confused with Baby P). Since kidneys create urine, if Magnus' didn't have enough urine, it would have pointed to a bilateral kidney problem. Also, baby's practice breathing by ingesting the amniotic fluid. Insufficient amniotic fluid often leads to BIG problems - like still birth. Needless to say, it was a great relief to see that the problem was only on one kidney and the other kidney was doing its job. Dr. Allbert also reassured us that you only need one kidney to be healthy. In his words, "if you are going to have a problem with an organ, you want it to be an organ that you have two of". Pretty true.

So, after two appointments with Dr. Allbert to confirm his diagnosis of MCDK, we had our first appointment with Dr. Perez. Dr. Perez really put us at ease. He let us know that before we even leave the hospital, he will run a couple of tests on Magnus. One will be an ultrasound of Magnus' kidney. This will show the current size and status of the kidney. The other will confirm that all of the "plumbing" to the good kidney is in working condition. If there are "plumbing" issues - which is common - he will probably just treat them with an antibiotic. As for the MCD kidney, he'll just leave it be and monitor it's size over the next few years. In the past, there was a belief that you should always remove the MCD kidney (perform a nephrectomy). Now, they believe differently. They've found that in a majority of cases, by age five, the child's body has absorbed the MCD kidney, essentially doing the surgeons job without the cutting and the anesthesia. So, they'll just monitor the MCD kidney and make sure that it is shrinking over time. If the body does not absorb it, then we may need to consider the surgery.

Of course, the remaining question was "how is life different for a baby/child/adult with one kidney". The answer, thankfully, was "there are no differences." Dr. Perez encouraged us to allow our child to play contact sports, to run jump and play, and that we didn't need to "baby" him. There are some dietary things that we should watch - reduce sodium intake and have a slightly lower protein diet. Otherwise, he's going to be a normal kid. So, when he starts mouthing off to you and you are getting ready to put him over your knee for a good paddling... don't let him use the "I've only got one kidney" excuse... You just go right ahead and swat him!*

*The Peters Family Blog does not condone corporal punishment

Today Magnus and I went to the doctor and finished up another milestone. This was our last monthly appointment before we start visiting the doctor every two weeks. We talked about Magnus's upcoming appointment with his specialist, and took another listen to his heartbeat. It was bouncing right along at about 150 beats per minute.
We also had to do a glucose tolerance test, which basically involved drinking something that tasted like the really sweet McDonald's orange drink that people had at birthday parties when I was a little kid. Magnus loved the orange drink and was throwing a one-man dance party while he visited with Dr. Barnes.
Moose had been attempting to become a better walker, one who does not pull his family down the street, but rather lets "his people" believe that they are in control. It is slow going---literally, since Moose has to stop and sit after each misdeed. He is showing promise though that one day he will successfully make it through the walk without stopping for more time than he spends walking.
That's about all for now. Magnus and Maija will stop working in mid-May if all goes as planned, but until then they'll keep their noses to the grindstone at school.

Old dresser is now new dresser

Thanks to Uncle Cory, our little boy has his first dresser. Cory had an old unfinished dresser that he no longer had any need for. We gladly accepted the dresser, and after a couple of coats of paint, we think it looks perfect for out little man. Moose made his way into the photo. He's such an attention hound!

Also a big thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Siebum. They gave our little dude a very nice stroller/first car seat combo. I need to make sure that I study up and figure out how to strap that seat into our car. I wouldn't think it would be that hard, but everyone keeps telling me how important it is to get the thing installed correctly. So, I'll be going to car seat safety class here in about a month.

That's all for now. Our love to all,
Jamie, Maija, Moose and Junior

9' Tall Duck

It's with a great amount of confidence that I can declare that my 9' tall inflatable duck is the ONLY 9' tall inflatable duck in all of North Carolina. As you all know, we love out Ducks here at 3015. Now, there is little doubt that the neighbors will also know of our passion. I tried him out on Thursday night, in hopes that he could bring the men's basketball team some luck. It didn't work out too well. They lost yet another heart-breaker - this time to the hated Huskies of Washington. My confidence is unfettered. I'm sure that this newest addition to my collection of all things U of O athletics will start paying off soon. Maybe it's more of a football duck. I'll just wait 'til the fall to see him bring some good luck to the Ducks.

Everything else is good here at the Peters' house. Moose is back to his old self. No more g.i. distress, no more of me almost gagging as I clean up after him. It's nice to have him back to normal. Maija continues to do well. Her belly may get a little bigger by the day, but each additional cm just makes her that much cuter. Today was the first day that we could SEE little "Magnus" kick. We've felt it quite often lately, but today we could actually see her belly jump as he kicked. It's all pretty wild stuff. We also moved the dresser into the nursery this morning. We'll get a photo of that up soon. We hope you all are well. More updates soon.

Valentine's Day Eve 2006

Since we preferred not to deal with the mayhem that usually accompanies a Valentine's Day out on the town, we chose to honor Oregon's birthday a day early. Little did we know that Valentine's day cannot come and go without at least a little
mayhem.
After a lovely dinner out at a great seafood restaurant, we returned home with full bellies and visions of soft fluffy pillows dancing in our heads...but then I'm mixing my holidays.
As we walked through the door we were greeted with what can only be described as a horrific smell. Moose, nowhere to be seen, had left a calling card for us on the entryway tile. The poor little guy was suffering from the worst case of explosive intestinal distress that either one of us had ever seen. It was, thankfully for you, indescribable! Moose claims (after his $100 visit to the vet) that he was just trying to prepare us for the baby's diapers.

Indoor Soccer???

During the last week it seems there has been a soccer match, or maybe even hockey at times taking place within the confines of my growing belly. Jamie has finally been able to feel the little man kick at him too. So far, the fancy footwork seems most likely at the grocery store, or during quiet times while I'm trying to sleep in or get to sleep for the night.

The visit with our doctor this week was good. We measured 25 cm at the beginning of the 25th week, which seems consistent with little "Magnus'" growth pattern so far.

Work In Progress

We wanted to pass along some pictures of the new nursery to all of you. Jamie's hard work paid off. Everything looks great and has been given Saftey Maija's stamp of approval.



The blanket Maija is holding up was made for Baby P. by Great Grammy Hayes, who is Maija's friend Sandy's mother who is almost 90 years old. She sent the blanket down this week for Baby P. It is lovely and Maija hopes to be able to imitate her fine crochet work some day---maybe by the time she is 90 herself! So far, Maija sticks to much more simple crochet stitches, but does hope to finish a blanket for the little man sometime before he is born, although it won't be as beautiful as this one.

Baby Sweatshop

Like most other Americans, babies rely on cheap labor to support their needs. In this case for the construction of a crib, rocking chair and changing table, extremely low cost labor was contracted . While this worker complained of carpel tunnel syndrome and the cramped working conditions reminiscent of a veal pen, he did get the job done in record time. All three pieces were assembed on Saturday. TIGHT QUARTERS AND A BOSS WHO KEEPS HOUNDING HIM
WORKER FEIGNING SMILE FOR PHOTO OP. WITH CURIOUS ON-LOOKER

Special Baby Pictures

We saw a specialist a couple of weeks ago to check out an irregularity in Baby P.'s (whom Jamie likes to refer to as Magnus) kidney. Apparently, he has some cysts on one of his kidneys that are most likely the result of a blockage as the kidney was developing. The doctor did a very thorough ultrasound exam and feels that the other kidney is working just fine and appears free of any complications, so he encouraged us not to be too worried. Baby P. is peeing just fine at present and will just be monitored a little more closely than the average baby once he is born.

6 Months And An Even Bigger Belly

Has she swallowed a watermelon?

While at the grocery store today, a nice cashier asked me about a million times if I would like someone to carry my groceries to the car for me. Apparently, in my "delicate condition" I look like a weakling. This belly, while it does contain it's fair share of chocolate chip cookies, is now mostly just Baby P. who is about 1.5 lbs. this week. You know what they say about the camera...

5 Months and Growing

It's a boy! Although we would have been equally excited had we found out we were having a girl, today the ultrasound technician showed us "the turtle" which indicated that we have a little man in there. Jamie recognized the necessary equipment and did some interpreting.

In the photo it may be hard to tell, but I'd like to go on the record as saying that my sillohette, while never slender and willowy, and plenty "sturdy" before pregnancy, has changed drastically since August. In the last two weeks, I've gone from looking like I've had too many Christmas cookies to having quite the portly protruding middle. For the record I did have too many cookies, but that doesn't seem to be the cause of the belly.

As all of you who know me well will easily recall, I have a tendency to worry about any health "issues", so the last several months have been quite interesting for Jamie and me. Jamie has been very patient with my incessant nervousness, and I hope the little man has too. Otherwise, when he comes to greet us, he'll be one whale of a hypochondriac...but at least he'll come by it naturally.

From the ultrasound photos today it appears that contrary to Jamie's and my predictions, our child will have a fairly normal little nose. Since both Jamie's and mine are crooked (and in the same direction no less) we were a little worried that if this "beauty mark" was compounded genetically that our little one would have a nose on all but sideways. Knock on wood, that doesn't appear to be how genetics work. For those of you who've been patient enough to wade through all this minutia, thanks. This is my first post and I had to at least show I could compete with Moose (who is a fine writer for one not blessed with opposable thumbs).

Christmas #3 - Astoria

After a VERY LONG mid-day drive from the 'burg to Astoria, we had a wonderful Christmas dinner at Jude's house. We were joined by Judy, Anna, Poppa P, Penny P, Uncle Louie, Aunt Terri, and our cousins. We had a great dinner and visit with everybody. Aunt Terri asked plenty of questions and was often heard exclaiming, "OOH!! Tell me about..."

After dinner and after Terri, Louie and the kids left, we had our Christmas gift exchange. Everyone had a great time and lots of fun presents were exchanged. Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend much time with Anna. She went home the next morning. We did get to see her on our trip home, but that's a different story, altogether.

Finally, we were able to catch up with our dear friends Tobi and Rachel. They have moved to the states from Germany and this was our first chance to see them since our visit two summers ago in Berlin. It was great to see them and catch up on what's been happening in their life.

Christmas #2 - "The 'burg"

We had a very nice time in the 'burg for Christmas. We had our traditional meal of Chicken Kiev for Christmas Eve and Mom's tasty breakfast roles in the morning. We also had great visits with Mom, Bob, Jon and Laci. Oh, and I got to hit up the Taco Time for a crisp bean burrito. Mmmm... That's some good eats. Thanks to our Roseburg family for making our time so enjoyable.

Christmas - Round 1

We had our first Christmas of the season on Saturday, up at Poppa and Penny P's house. Good times were had by all. Per tradition, we all watched Christmas Vacation and then made personal pan pizzas in the kitchen. Mine was quite easily the best, although Cory disagreed mightily. He still can't fathom that his big brother enjoys vegetables.



Here I am sporting two of my newest Christmas gifts. The Ducks' running jacket is from Cory and Leslie. They found it in Vogue magazine - proving how hip it is to root for Oregon. The stuffed chocolate lab is riding comfortably in our new Baby Bjorn, compliments of Poppa and Penny P. Here in about 5 months, baby P will be riding in that little number.
This is not at all Christmas related, but some of the grandparents-to-be haven't yet seen our nursery pattern. If you can't quite make it out, it includes little hippos, elephants, lions and giraffes - oh my!

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