Thank you!

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement! The Dr. called and told me my blood showed antibodies to the virus....so she said i must have had the infection before sometime in the past. She said I should be fine! YEAH! Thank you Lord!

Prayer request...

I'm copying this from an email I sent out to some people asking for prayer...so those of you who got that email, this is a repeat! :-)

Ok, i'm going to attempt to make this quick and sum it up, but I need your prayer!

I was exposed to fifth's disease this week. It's something mostly kids get but then can pass on to adults and it's contagious until kids break out into a rash on their face. That's the only way you even know they have it. Anyways, if you want to know more...look it up on google! It's kinda a weird thing.

Anyways, it's only dangerous to pregnant women. Lovely. So, we sent the student home, who i'm sure has infected otheres in my class(because we share EVERYTHING), but i won't know until they have a rash....and i'm freaking out. So after a crazy morning of work yesterday...principal and secretaries in and out to tell me updates of the girl going home and me needing to call my dr, i finally heard from my doctor. She had me leave school early and go get blood drawn....and i haven't heard results yet. Mainly, if you've been exposed it the virus before, you're immune, and that's my prayer because otherwise i'm going to freak out the rest of the month being in my classroom around kids. (I did have a rash in the spring during track season in high school one year. They never called it fifth's disease, but maybe they were dumb and maybe that was it. That would be really cool.) If i caught the virus....i've heard from everything i've read (not from my dr yet because we didn't have time to talk when she called) that i have to go weekly to get ultrasounds and get blood checked....for 8-12 weeks so they can look for fetal anemia...something called fetal hydrops...and something with that which could cause the baby's heart to fail if it's serious and would cause death for the baby. They dont' think there are any other effects to a baby's development as far as birth defects go if those other things don't show up. A girl in my building had the same thing happen to her, but she was about 8 weeks ahead of me with her pregnancy, so she was fine. Still....that's good to hear that she's fine and her baby was fine.

They say half of all adults are already immune, so i'm praying and trying to be positive about that otherwise i don't want to go back to work! UGH! I'm frustrated about how much money those appointments will add up to be too....when it wasn't my fault! I shouldn't have to pay! Because I'm past the first half of my pregnancy, I'm at less risk than someone who is at the beginning stages, so that's a good sign....but i'm also scared becuase they say it can wait to show that you have it until weeks and weeks later and a lot of times adults don't have any symptoms so you wouldn't even know you had the virus (or something like that) ahah! So....unless i'm immune, I will worry for the next 3 months that something is wrong and UGH. (I'm probably not explaining this all correctly, so maybe you should just read about it online if you want to know more ahahah http://www.fifthdisease.org/pregnancy.html) If you go to that link you can read a little more...then click on the treatment tab and it will talk about that.

So yea, another worry for me. I'm still concerned about the heart issue we heard of at our ultrasound a month ago, so Dr. Rama is sending me to University of Chicago on Thursday to meet with a genetics counselor who will do another ultrasound to look specifically for downs. She told us this is an option if we wanted to go, and I guess it wouldn't change anything about my baby to me...but it would help me be prepared if they found something that I need to be aware of. Also, a baby of Jason's family friend just died this week due to many complications at birth...one being with the left ventricle, so of course that is on the back of my mind too. Then I remember that God is so awesome and he has a plan, and I only want that for my life....so whatever that is, I will be okay! He is in control, loves my baby, and has his own plan.

God's still making me work on the sin I'm so talented with..WORRY! I've just gotta give this to him and trust him to take care of my baby. Worry won't make anything better.

:-)

Thanks for your prayers....and sorry, that wasn't quick like I said it would be!

Karla

New Shot....

Here's the latest belly shot.....I'm more than halfway there! I'm feeling pretty good besides some gallbladder pain still....and my CRAZY appetite that has gotten even crazier the past few days. I'm starting to get anxious about all that needs to be accomplished in the next 4 months....between house projects, work planning and prep, a summer college course, a summer part time job, and travel! YIKES! I know for those of you who are already parents, I don't know what "tired" or "no time" means yet! ahahah :-)
Good news...I think I finally decided on baby bedding....ahahah. It's not very baby-ish, but it has polka dots (which I've always loved and wanted an all polka dot room but couldn't find bedding I liked), green (my favorite color), and I like it. Ahahaha. I'm hoping I'll like it in person!
OK, enough ramblings from me of info that isn't a big deal!
Happy SUNNY day everyone!

20 weeks and counting...

Oh my word, is it August yet!? For those of you who wonder...here is the most recent belly shot. I'm starting to feel like a balloon that is being blown up beyond capacity and that I'll pop any minute, and then I remember that I'm only half way there, and the next few months is the time you REALLY get big. CRAZY, but FUN! :-)

This is one of the most exciting times in my life, and I've got a bad case of what I call "Baby Brain." I can't get my mind off this little baby girl and getting her room ready and all that comes with having a child. I think I'm driving my poor husband crazy because all I talk about is baby stuff....but I guess I did that even before I was expecting. AHAHAH.

I hope everyone is doing well!

Continued Blessings...

OH MY WORD, this week has been awesome! So many times i've been reminded at how good life really is!
Yesterday this local second hand store in town was having this $5 fill a bag sale to empty out some of their extra inventory. Well, I decided that I would go...but I almost didn't. When I walked in, they had changed the sale to 2 bags for $5. OH MY WORD, I was so excited! I got a new Ralph Lauren winter coat, some sweaters and shirts, and TONS of little baby girl things! That is what I was most excited about! I got some outfits, a cute pink Gap coat, 4 pairs of little baby girl shoes and boots, hat, and gloves. You can say I was definitely JAMMING things in those bags! Who knows if the stuff will fit or be the right size at the right time for our baby girl, but WHAT A GOOD DEAL! I think everything pans out to be about 5-10 cents each, and it's all name brand VERY CLEAN stuff! YEAH!
Today, my friend Dawn from work brought me the cutest little baby gift. She said now that she knew I was having a girl, she just couldn't pass it up. She gave me some socks, mittens, a bib, and the cutest little newborn slippers.
OH MY WORD, I wish August was here right now! I'm so ready to dress this little one! :-)

Part One: Kids are so funny!/Part Two: Friends are Blessings!!!!

Part One: My "kids"
So today was my first day back to work after a much needed spring break. I decided I was finally going to share my baby news with my students.(2nd graders might I add...a very cute age) I made them a secret code to solve for morning work, where the message said: "Mrs. Aukerman is having a baby!" They were very excited. When we went over the answer to the secret code, I told them I'd been keeping this little secret from them since December. One little girl came up to me later and said...."Mrs. Aukerman, I've known since December." ahahah Yea, right, but that was cute of her to say! All day I was getting name suggestions (my favorite being Gabriella after the ever famous High School Musical star). I'm surprised no one said Hannah after Hannah Montana! I also had a few kids who told everyone to be quieter or they'd make the baby cry. HA! I'm going to have to use that one on the next loud day! I'm glad they thought of it! Anyways, I also was given many cards for my little baby, one little girl was calling her self "Grandma," and kids are just too cute!

Part Two: My co-worker friends are so thoughtful!

So today I was given three out of the blue gifts that just got my Monday off to a wonderful start! My friends are so awesome.

Carrie, the teacher across the hall gave me a cute pink and white set of baby bath towels. She also gave me 23 (TWENTY-THREE Ohhhhhhhh my word I'm so happy) Baby Einstein, Elmo, and Sesame street dvds! (Oh, and one dvd was Cinderella since i'm having a little "princess") WOW! How giving! She has a four year old who is done with them, and she decided to pass them on!

Dawn, the teacher next door, randomly brought me a box of my very favorite granola bars! She said they were to keep in my desk so I had a treat to eat! Awe!

Kristin, my good-ole college bud and old roomie who teaches down the hall bought me THEE cutest brown/pink/blue/green POLKA-DOT (my favorite) diaper bag!!!!! OH my word....HOW THOUGHTFUL!

Let's just say I feel blessed that God has brought such wonderful, giving people into my lives! Already my little girl is so spoiled! :-)

I've been to the hospital everyday this week but Wednesday! UGH...

For those of you who haven't heard, I had a doctor appointment on Tuesday (my regular check up). My doctor was actually away on an emergency leave, so the other doctor in the office met with me. She went over some results of blood work which was all good. We found out Jason is also RH- so I won't have to get anymore shots! I also was dehydrated! UGH. I've drank so much water since, and I joke that I think i'm going to move into the bathroom! I asked the doctor about my pain that i've been having in my ribs....and she was concerned it was my gallbladder, so today I had an ultrasound for that. I haven't received results yet. I'm hoping they can tell me what's going on with that, because last night I had a really bad attact, and the pain is HORRIBLE. I think they will have me control it with diet. Good-bye to my favorite foods, but it's worth it to get rid of the pain!
The doctor also went over our ultrasound results from Monday....and everything looks normal except they did find a mobile echogenic focus in the left ventricle. She had me get a fetal echocardiogram today to check on the baby's heart. It looks like things are fine with the heart and development but this echogenic focus (a bright calcium spot on the ultrasound) is showing up. The pediatric cardiologist said it wasn't a fatal thing...nor would the baby need heart treatments or anything. I guess the only concern is that this is a small marker for Downs Syndrome. Most of the time these issues go away before the baby is born and it doesn't mean anything, but there is a chance it could mean our baby girl has Downs. Being that I'm young, the chances aren't high, but it's still a chance. Jason and I of course wouldn't love our baby any less...and we've already opted to not do an amniocentesis, so mainly, it looks like we trust God's plan and wait and see what happens when she's born! It's scary for me, but I know God is teaching me that I still haven't given up my worries in life to him enough. My mother in law reminded me that God's plan is what will be perfect for me and this baby, and that he loves this baby more than I do! So, I'm trying to rest on that and know that this little girl is going to be precious no matter what! I'll post anymore info I may receive if any is given to me!
We of course would love your prayers! :-)