Our Little Boxer

Hey Everyone! I want to start this post off with some words of encouragement that were on our church bulletin yesterday that I felt really spoke to me.

"Life can be a very mean and difficult road, and it can bring you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, no one is going to hit as hard as life can. But it isn't how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. It's about how much you can take and not stay down for the count; it's about getting back up."

We have had a busy two weeks yet again. At our 24 week appointment we were able to see Colt, and he was very busy as usual! We learned that his growth is normal, in the 49th percentile, and I'm measuring three days ahead. We were very happy to get good news! The ultrasound tech was also able to see his left ventricular outflow tract, which she couldn't see before. While this does not mean his condition has improved, it is a good sign that she could see something she couldn't before, and it is definitely not a bad thing. The Doctor also confirmed I will be induced at 39 weeks which is Christmas Day. I asked if there was any way we could do it earlier, and he said absolutely not, haha. So, instead of Christmas Day it will more than likely be the day after, Boxing Day! We think this is a good sign, since we know Colt is a fighter anyway :)We also had our breastfeeding and baby care class that night. Drew of course really enjoyed both! He was able to change and swaddle a baby (doll) for the first time!

I have been feeling pretty good, except for some heartburn and leg cramps at night. I must say though, I have had a pretty easy pregnancy thus far. I used to be able to see Colt poking his butt up in the mornings, but now as he is getting bigger I can see what appears to be his whole body stretched out. This week being 26 weeks, he is about 1.75 pounds and about 14 inches long!

Two weekends ago Drew's Dad and step-mom came and took us to dinner and spent the night with us. We had a great time and were so glad they came. The next night we headed to Smithfield to spend the night with my sister, where Drew was able to change and swaddle our three month old neice for more practice! I was so proud, he did such a great job with changing his first ever real diaper. He actually changed two, and got lucky with one pee-pee and one poopy. He now thinks he is a pro. We will see about that! On Sunday on the way back home, we stopped off in Rocky Mount to see my little brother Channie play baseball. We sure know how to make the most out of a weekend!

The next week flew by and on Saturday we had our second home football game. The weather was kinda yucky, but we made the most of it and had a good time. Sunday I finally got around to making the crib skirt. Drew helped me measure and cut the material, and I even got him to do a little sewing. Now we just have to get the bumper guards done. We are looking forward to more football this weekend. We have a night game, and we always love those!

We can't wait for our next appointment which is in two weeks. I will have the glucose test and it will be our 4D ultrasound. If everyone shows up we will have about 76 people in the room to see our popular child, haha. We are so looking forward to our family being there. We also see the cardiologist again that same week, so we are very anxious about that appointment. I can't believe we only have 13 weeks left! That also means only 13 weeks til Christmas everyone!!!

Austin and ECU Football!

Sorry for taking so long in between posts. We have been just a little busy! Our trip to Austin went off without a hitch, thank goodness. We had such a great time visiting with Tim and Kinski. We really hate we can't see them more often. We basically just hung around and went out to eat. My kind of vacation! When we got back, we went to Babies R Us and registered for lots of goodies for Colt. Drew of course loved having the power of the gun thingy, and when we got home and I pulled up the registry online there were a few things there I didn't know about, haha. At least he hadn't snuck any UNC items on the list!

The rest of the week went by pretty fast, and it was time for our first home football game. Drew's Aunt and Uncle, Tammy and Ricky came down from Blacksburg, Virginia for the game. Our friends Jason and Brittany from Greensboro also came down. We had such a great time with everyone! It was my first sober game, and it actually wasn't bad. At least we weren't worried about how we would get home! The game was at 3:30 and I didn't know if I would be able to make it, as the sun shines directly on our side of the stadium. Things were a little rough there for a while, but after half-time it was 100% better. I was so proud I made it through for the whole game.

Today marks 24 weeks! Colt is about the length of an ear or corn and a little over 1 pound! He is still very active which of course is very reassuring. I love laying in bed at night and first thing in the morning because that is usually when he moves the most. Almost each morning my stomach is very lop-sided where his butt or head is sticking up. Drew still thinks it is kind of weird feeling him move around. I ordered the fabric for the crib bumpers last week, and can't wait for it to get here! I am going to order the rest for the crib skirt and curtains sometime this week. We are going with a nautical theme, with powder blue and navy blue. Will post pictures of the fabric once I get it all in. We go back to the doctor on Thursday for a check-up and ultrasound to make sure he is growing at the right rate. We also have breastfeeding and infant care classes Thursday night. Hopefully we will learn a thing or two!

Andrew, Me, Kinski, Tim

Andrew and I tailgating

Belly shot, 24 weeks!

22 Weeks

Well it sure has been a wild week! Baby Colt experienced his first earthquake and hurricane all in the same week.  He says he is ready for anything :)

Wednesday was our first doctor's appointment since we found out about his heart defect.  Unfortunately a lot of our questions were not answered, but deffered to the pediatric cardiologist.  We did learn that we would continue with normal visits to the regular obgyn, but will have an ultrasound each time to make sure he is growing at the right rate. We will see the cardiologist again at 28 weeks to see how his heart has developed since the last time. We also scheduled our 4D ultrasound for October 10th. I can't wait to see if he has his daddy's dimples. If everything goes well, we can expect to induce around 39 weeks, which will of course be Christmas Day! Still no idea where though.

My mom, step dad and sister Allie came down Friday night to help paint his room. Of course we had another visitor, Hurricane Irene who left us with no power all day Saturday. Sunday morning my other sister Leah came and us girls painted while the boys cleaned up the yard from all the trees and limbs that had fallen. Thankfully no damage to the house. We also finished painting the dresser my friend Crystal gave us, and the changing table I bought off of Craigslist. I think both turned out pretty good!

On Thursday we are headed to Austin, Texas to visit Drew's brother Tim and his fiance Kinski. We have had this planned for several months, and are really looking foward to seeing them and eating lots of great food! Keep us in your thoughts for safe travels.

21 Weeks!

First off, Drew and I want to say a huge thank you to everyone for all of your kind words of enouragement, support and love.  You all have a special place in helping us get through this. 

Friday night, Drew and I went to dinner at Tiebreakers, a local sports bar.  We both had wings and boy were they delicious!  Afterwards we came home and relaxed.  While I was being lazy on the couch I felt something in my tummy.  After a few more, I realized it was Colt moving around in there! I was so excited. I had been anxiously waiting to be able to feel him move.  Of course everytime Drew put his hand on my belly nothing happened.  But, Saturday morning he was finally able to feel him kicking around in there.  It was a very special moment for us, considering the past few weeks. 

On Saturday Drew's mom came down and helped us prime the changing table and dresser. Rain came and put a halt to us being able to put the paint on.  I was also able to clean out my closet and exchange my pre-pregnancy clothes for maternity clothes!  I'm looking forward to this coming weekend when my mom and sister come to help paint his room! We are also celebrating my mom's __ birthday. I will let her tell her age, haha.

Sunday marked 21 weeks.  According to Babycenter, Colt is as long as a carrot now, about 10.5 inches and weighs 3/4 of a pound.  Drew affectionately said "So, he's the size of a cheeseburger!" Our next doctor appointment is Wednesday.  I am looking forward to it because we will hopefully get some answers to the many questions we have regarding what comes next.  We were told that my pregnancy would be relatively normal, just a lot more ultrasounds and appointments.  Colt's birth will also be scheduled, so we are not sure if he will be born early or as close as possible to the due date (Jan 1).  We also were told that the birth and first surgery could happen here, Duke or in Philadelphia.  They have to monitor his development and discuss with the surgeons where the best place will be.  Since we are over half way there, we feel like we have a lot to do and a lot to plan for.  It becomes overwhelming at times trying to figure out how it will all work out.  Tonight after work, I was having a hard time and letting myself get down about all the details.  Thankfully my wonderful husband can always put a smile back on my face.


Will update again after our appointment on Wednesday! Keep the prayers coming :)

What's been going on...

So, the past three weeks have been pretty tough in the Moss Household.  Here is my best attempt of making a long story short. 

On July 25 we went in for our gender ultrasound. Baby Moss did not want to cooperate for a long time and the tech said she though it was a girl.  Apparently, he did not appreciate being called a girl, and finally moved just enough so that we could see he was indeed a boy!  She got all the measurements she needed, except his heart. So, they sheduled another ultrasound for the next Tuesday. 

At this appoinment we were excited to be able to see him again. He was very active this time around.  But, midway through the ultrasound we were told the left side of his heart did not look quite right. The ultrasound tech called in the doctor, and she confirmed that the left side of his heart was underdeveloped.  I immediately broke down. We never expected anything to be wrong with our child.  We then were given an immediate appoinment the next day with a pediatric cardiologist at ECU.  We went in and they did an extensive ultrasound of his heart.  We just sat there while the doctor and ultrasound tech watched the screen and talked medical jargon back and forth.  Finally, the doctor took us in his office to explain to us what they had seen.  Our baby's left ventricle was very under-developed and basically not functioning.  He also had a double outlet right ventricle.  For all of you out there like us, who are not heart specialists, we of course didn't know exactly what that meant.  Here is how it was explained to us: the left ventricle pumps blood into the body, and the right pumps blood into the lungs.  So, our baby's right ventricle is having to do both.  This doesn't pose much of a problem to him while in the womb, but once he is born, without surgery he will not survive. Therefore, Baby Moss will need immediate open heart surgery after birth, another around six months, and a third between the ages of 2 and 4.  We were also told babies with heart defects are at a higher risk for chromosomal abnormalities and were advised to have an amnio test done. The final kicker came when we were told we would outlive our child.  As you can imagine we were both devastated. 

The following Monday, we had yet another appointment.  This one was again at ECU and was a level 3 ultrasound.  They looked at Baby Moss for almost an hour, measuring everything starting at his head, and down to his toes.  Thankfully, everything else looked perfectly normal.  We waited a very long two weeks, but finally got the call today that the amnio results are normal! We are so relieved, happy, grateful, etc.

It has been an extremely long and difficult few weeks.  We have received more support from our family and close friends than we ever could have imagined. We don't know what we would have done without it. We deicided to start this blog to let our family and friends follow along with us on this journey.  We hope that you will all keep us in your thoughts and prayers.  We also would really like to know if anyone knows anyone else in the same or similar situation and their story. We feel very blessed that we were chosen to be this little boy's parents, for we know God will not give us anything more than we can handle.


P.S.  We could not agree on a name for Baby Moss before all of this was known.  After the fact, that didn't seem so important.  I told Drew we could name him whatever he wanted. So, Baby Moss' name is Colt Warner Moss (for now anyway ;p).

                                                                Normal Heart

                                                             Colt's Heart