Monday, April 29, 2013
Surprise!!!!
On the afternoon of April 24th, I thought that I was headed to our last professional development of the school year, but it was actually a surprise baby shower for Baby Brokaw! I was shocked and appreciate the awesome Lincoln staff!
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
We've got a bump....
I knew I was never going to be the really cute pregnant person...you know the people that look like they swallowed a basketball and are just cute when they are pregnant. I knew that was not what pregnancy was going to look like on me and I was ok with it. I have Steve take my picture every month around the middle of the month. I'd been waiting for a while to get my baby bump, waiting for my regular pants to be too tight, waiting for shirts to start to get shorter, waiting for the time to bust out the maternity pants.
This is my picture from February, I was about 16 weeks pregnant.
This picture is from mid-March. There's a little bit of difference, but nothing too noticeable.
And now, welcome to April. This was taken on Sunday at 24 weeks and 5 days. We definitely have a bump! In fact, on Monday, one of my co-workers made a comment about me really starting to show, so it's obvious to more than just me. The funny thing is that is just happened out of nowhere. I never thought I had changed that much in the last month.
Until mid-May......
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Baby Update
We are 23 weeks pregnant today....so we have 16 weeks (or less) left! That's exciting to me! The last few weeks have been a little stressful, but I'm feeling good and baby is kicking up a storm lately which is cool and disturbing all at the same time!
When we went for our anatomy scan at 18 weeks, the sonographer discovered the baby had a 2-vessel cord. This is not a big deal by itself, but having a 2-vessel cord is linked to other issues like chromosomal abnormalities and heart defects. Not what I wanted to hear at our appointment. I was upset and instantly worried.
Our doctor spelled everything out for us: with the 2-vessel cord we will have to have ultrasounds every 4 weeks to measure the growth of the baby because 2-vessel cord babies can be smaller and gain weight slowly (right now we are measuring about 5 days ahead, yah baby!). I wasn't too upset about having more ultrasounds I love seeing this peanut!
Our doctor told us about a blood test we could do that could tell us if there were chromosome abnormalities. Steve and I talked about it and decided to take the test. They took vials of my blood and sent it off to California. They told us it would be 10 business days until we got the results...it wasn't about a week later we found out that they are 99% sure there are no chromosome issues. Whoop, Whoop! I was so relieved!
We had our next ultrasound at 21 weeks and there was concern over where the heart closed on the bottom and the possibility of a small hole in its heart called a VSD. Instead of having another ultrasound in a couple of weeks, we were sent to the pediatric cardiologist to have a fetal echocardiogram.
Our echo was on Monday and I'm happy to report that everything appears to be normal! We are thanking God for a healthy baby so far! It really put into perspective for me all of the is it a boy, is it a girl talk, because right now the most important thing is that it's HEALTHY, Thank the Lord!
Friday, February 22, 2013
We're on the move...
A week ago today, on February 15th, we bought a house! We had no intentions of buying a house this soon. We started looking last October and early November. We had decided that we were going to move to Kalona which is about 15 minutes north of Washington and would cut Steve's drive to work almost in half. We had looked at some model homes and decided on builder. We had actually decided on a subdivision that we wanted to build in and thought about August of 2013 was when we would start building.
Once we got pregnant, we realized that our plans needed to change. We could still build, but probably wouldn't be finished until after the baby got here. So we started looking and a found a house that we both really liked. Once we went and looked at it, I was sold, I just needed to convince Steve. That wasn't hard.
We took both of our parents through it and then decided to make an offer. It was a week of negotiations that Steve dealt with. I got nightly reports and gave a little input, but Steve handled it all.
Now we are packing because we close on April 1st. We also have to sell our house, so we are putting as many things as we can in storage and cleaning out. If you know of anyone looking for a cute rental property or starter house in Washington, we can hook them up!
I'm so super excited we are going from a little over 800 sq. ft. to over 2400! 1 bathroom to 3. I don't think I know what to do with all the room and storage!
Once we got pregnant, we realized that our plans needed to change. We could still build, but probably wouldn't be finished until after the baby got here. So we started looking and a found a house that we both really liked. Once we went and looked at it, I was sold, I just needed to convince Steve. That wasn't hard.
We took both of our parents through it and then decided to make an offer. It was a week of negotiations that Steve dealt with. I got nightly reports and gave a little input, but Steve handled it all.
Now we are packing because we close on April 1st. We also have to sell our house, so we are putting as many things as we can in storage and cleaning out. If you know of anyone looking for a cute rental property or starter house in Washington, we can hook them up!
I'm so super excited we are going from a little over 800 sq. ft. to over 2400! 1 bathroom to 3. I don't think I know what to do with all the room and storage!
Sunday, February 3, 2013
We're PREGNANT!
Yes, we're pregnant. We.are.pregnant. I still can't believe it and there are times that I have to remind myself, but it's true...we are having a baby.
On Nov. 29th, we found out we were pregnant, BUT my HCG was low. They want it to be 50 and mine was 34. My first thought was here we go again we're pregnant, BUT. I had to go in for a repeat beta test 4 days later. They want the number to double every 48 hours and since I was going 4 days later is should quadruple for be around 140. My HCG came back at 365. I was so excited. Hurdle #1 was over.
Then it was time to schedule our first ultrasound on Dec. 10th. With in vitro, there are lots of ultrasounds. Our first ultrasound was to see if there was a gestational sac and a yolk sac. Sorry, these pictures are not the best, but in the ultrasound we saw a two perfect sacs. Hurdle #2 done!
Our 3rd hurdle was the biggest one. This is when we (not really we because Steve and I have no idea what we are looking for) would see the heartbeat for the first time. To say we were scared is an understatement. We had NEVER seen a heartbeat before. We had come to this appointment before and were told your baby is not growing.
Our appointment was scheduled for Dec. 20th, but we were supposed to be getting a bad snowstorm, so I called to see if we could move our appointment to the 19th. I remember driving to pick Steve up at work and preparing myself for what could happen. I prayed and prayed and prayed and as we were walking to the clinic a sense of calm just came over me and I knew that everything was going to be ok.
During our appointment we saw the heartbeat, I'm going to be honest, I didn't see. I felt a little bit like Rachel on Friends because I didn't see it. I trust our ultrasound tech that it was there, but I couldn't see it myself. It was perfect 152 beats per minutes!
We were then released to a general ob/gyn, no more IVF doctors, no more waiting room 3. We picked a doctor and made our first appt.
Our first ob appt. was normal. There was blood work, patient history, and another ultrasound. For the first time, it looked like a baby! This time its heartbeat was 171 bpm.
Last Monday, we had our 13 week appointment. We had another ultrasound and everything is going great. The baby is growing well. I'm doing great. Our doctor said we are out of the danger zone and we could shout it from the rooftops and have we ever!
Everyone has been so supportive and happy for us! We want to thank everyone for their prayers and support. We are truly blessed by the people in our lives.
Looking forward to August 7, 2013 (or sooner) when the newest Brokaw makes their appearance!
We tried for 2 years to be parents before we decided to adopt Jaxson. We had 3 IVF cycles, 2 miscarriages, and as a result of one of those cycles, we had 1 frozen embryo. In early fall, I got a letter from the University of Iowa that I needed to do something with our frozen embryo. We had paid for 2 years of freezing and either needed to pay up again or have it transferred. We decided to have it transferred.
On Nov. 19th, we had the egg transferred. I remembered being so calm. One of the doctors was part Korean and we talked about her wanting to adopt from Korea. Then our favorite ultrasound tech, Michelle, was there. She actually signed up for clinic duty because she saw our name on the schedule. Michelle is so good at her job and she was the one that was there for our miscarriages and helped me understand what was happening.
On Nov. 29th, we found out we were pregnant, BUT my HCG was low. They want it to be 50 and mine was 34. My first thought was here we go again we're pregnant, BUT. I had to go in for a repeat beta test 4 days later. They want the number to double every 48 hours and since I was going 4 days later is should quadruple for be around 140. My HCG came back at 365. I was so excited. Hurdle #1 was over.
Then it was time to schedule our first ultrasound on Dec. 10th. With in vitro, there are lots of ultrasounds. Our first ultrasound was to see if there was a gestational sac and a yolk sac. Sorry, these pictures are not the best, but in the ultrasound we saw a two perfect sacs. Hurdle #2 done!
 |
| 2 perfect sacs waiting for one perfect baby to form. |
Our 3rd hurdle was the biggest one. This is when we (not really we because Steve and I have no idea what we are looking for) would see the heartbeat for the first time. To say we were scared is an understatement. We had NEVER seen a heartbeat before. We had come to this appointment before and were told your baby is not growing.
Our appointment was scheduled for Dec. 20th, but we were supposed to be getting a bad snowstorm, so I called to see if we could move our appointment to the 19th. I remember driving to pick Steve up at work and preparing myself for what could happen. I prayed and prayed and prayed and as we were walking to the clinic a sense of calm just came over me and I knew that everything was going to be ok.
During our appointment we saw the heartbeat, I'm going to be honest, I didn't see. I felt a little bit like Rachel on Friends because I didn't see it. I trust our ultrasound tech that it was there, but I couldn't see it myself. It was perfect 152 beats per minutes!
We were then released to a general ob/gyn, no more IVF doctors, no more waiting room 3. We picked a doctor and made our first appt.
Our first ob appt. was normal. There was blood work, patient history, and another ultrasound. For the first time, it looked like a baby! This time its heartbeat was 171 bpm.
Last Monday, we had our 13 week appointment. We had another ultrasound and everything is going great. The baby is growing well. I'm doing great. Our doctor said we are out of the danger zone and we could shout it from the rooftops and have we ever!
Everyone has been so supportive and happy for us! We want to thank everyone for their prayers and support. We are truly blessed by the people in our lives.
Looking forward to August 7, 2013 (or sooner) when the newest Brokaw makes their appearance!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
It's been awhile....
It's been awhile since I blogged....like 4 months awhile. It's not like I haven't tried, but the words just haven't been flowing. In fact, it was my New Year's resolution to blog more and it's already the 23rd of January and I'm just getting around to it. But no more excuses. I am promising you (my faithful blog readers) a new blog post AT LEAST once a month! Two if you're really lucky. To catch you up on what the Brokaws have been up to here are a few of my favorite pictures from the last four months. These first months had a lot of firsts for Jaxson!
 |
| Photo Shoot for Jax's birthday invites. |
 |
| Jax had a great 2nd birthday party with his family and friends and cupcakes! |
 |
| We went to his first wedding. |
 |
| Jax cheered on the Hawks every Saturday, too bad it didn't help them! |
 |
| 1st trip to the pumpkin patch |
 |
| 1st Halloween--cutest cowboy around |
 |
| Jax is officially a citizen and a Brokaw |
 |
| Christmas card photo |
 |
| Very excited about his 1st light sabers |
 |
| Matching Christmas jammies |
Thursday, September 6, 2012
My Wish
Someone should have warned me. I blame my adoptive parent friends for not warning me about the emotional mess I would be when I think of my son and the mothers he had before me. It all started about a week ago. I was driving back from Iowa City. Jax was in the back seat eating a Tootsie Pop. It was the only way that I thought I could keep him awake while we were driving. It worked for about a half an hour and then he fell asleep with the sucker in his hand resting oh so cutely on his forehead.
But I digress....this post is not about a sucker or how absolutely adorable Jax is or how much I love him or how blessed we are by him. This post is about a song. A song I heard on the radio that day: My Wish by Rascal Flatts. I had heard the song many times before, but something about that night and that song just struck me.
If you haven't heard it before here are the lyrics:
I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slowAnd each road leads you where you want to goAnd if you're faced with the choice and you have to chooseI hope you choose the one that means the most to you
And if one door opens to another door closedI hope you keep on walkin' ‘til you find the windowIf it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smileBut more than anything, more than anything
My wish for youIs that this life becomes all that you want it toYour dreams stay big, your worries stay smallYou never need to carry more than you can hold
And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' toI hope you know somebody loves youAnd wants the same things tooYeah, this is my wish
I hope you never look back but you never forgetAll the ones who love you and the place you leftI hope you always forgive and you never regretAnd you help somebody every chance you get
Oh, you'd find God's grace in every mistakeAnd always give more than you takeBut more than anything, yeah more than anything
My wish for youIs that this life becomes all that you want it toYour dreams stay big, your worries stay smallYou never need to carry more than you can hold
And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' toI hope you know somebody loves youAnd wants the same things tooYeah, this is my wish, yeah yeah
As I was listening and singing I started thinking. I thought back to that day 3 months ago when we met with Jax's foster family and they shared their dreams for him. They knew how smart he was. They wanted him involved in sports like golf and soccer. They talked about how much of an entertainer he was and how he loved to make people laugh. They told us of how he had picked the microphone at his Dol and how he was going to be a great important man. There love for him is something I didn't understand on that day, but now I appreciate it. I'm amazed by.
Then I was thinking of Jaxson's first mother, his birth mother. The woman who selflessly chose life for her son. A woman for whom I have the most respect and gratitude. A woman that I pray for regularly. I wonder what her wish for her son is and more than anything I wonder and hope and pray that I can raise him to be the man that she wishes him to be!
But I digress....this post is not about a sucker or how absolutely adorable Jax is or how much I love him or how blessed we are by him. This post is about a song. A song I heard on the radio that day: My Wish by Rascal Flatts. I had heard the song many times before, but something about that night and that song just struck me.
If you haven't heard it before here are the lyrics:
I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slowAnd each road leads you where you want to goAnd if you're faced with the choice and you have to chooseI hope you choose the one that means the most to you
And if one door opens to another door closedI hope you keep on walkin' ‘til you find the windowIf it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smileBut more than anything, more than anything
My wish for youIs that this life becomes all that you want it toYour dreams stay big, your worries stay smallYou never need to carry more than you can hold
And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' toI hope you know somebody loves youAnd wants the same things tooYeah, this is my wish
I hope you never look back but you never forgetAll the ones who love you and the place you leftI hope you always forgive and you never regretAnd you help somebody every chance you get
Oh, you'd find God's grace in every mistakeAnd always give more than you takeBut more than anything, yeah more than anything
My wish for youIs that this life becomes all that you want it toYour dreams stay big, your worries stay smallYou never need to carry more than you can hold
And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' toI hope you know somebody loves youAnd wants the same things tooYeah, this is my wish, yeah yeah
Then I was thinking of Jaxson's first mother, his birth mother. The woman who selflessly chose life for her son. A woman for whom I have the most respect and gratitude. A woman that I pray for regularly. I wonder what her wish for her son is and more than anything I wonder and hope and pray that I can raise him to be the man that she wishes him to be!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)