We had our 3rd ultrasound visit today, at 8AM to be exact, and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t awake then, but still somehow managed to drive through the morning rush to make it on time. By the end of our appointment I was definitely awake, and moreso pretty content with what we heard!

Thankfully, the doctor from our last ultrasound wasn’t even there so we had a chance to sit down with our usual ultrasound doctor who had some very informative knowledge about our situation. I still regret not being able to see him on the last visit, but that’s all besides the point right now. I’ll go ahead and sum up the entire visit by telling you the greatest thing I’ve heard all week.

“You have nothing to worry about.”

The doctor explained to us that based on the information he gained from our previous visits, doing an amniocentisis isn’t at all necessary to our situation. Why didn’t we hear this the first time?! I keep telling myself it’s not important anymore…. Anyway, he explained that based on what he saw on the ultrasound screen,  the most likely scenario is that some fluid slowed down through the narrow parts of the intestines which caused the ultrasound machine to pick it up brighter than usual.

Adrienne and I both felt relief like never before. It’s one of those unexplainable moments where you just know that everything is going to be okay.  Adrienne does however have to take 3 more blood tests to rule out the possibility of an infection. I haven’t had a chance to do a some research about the tests yet, but once I do I’ll post an update on any information I find. 

Other than that, everything looks normal. His weight, size, development all looks fantastic! It was pretty awesome to see him on a 4D machine. Adrienne swears up and down that he looks exactly like me and looks nothing like her. I am win. Adrienne’s mom also came with us for some moral support, just in case we needed it, and thankfully we didn’t. But even so, it was nice to have one of Avin’s grandmothers present to see his ultrasound.

In conclusion, today was a great day.

OH HAI! 

Today is a waiting day. I’m not an impatient person so waiting is no problem for me, and it’s never been a problem in the past either. It does however become a problem when it pertains to my son. And more so when it has something to do with his health and well being. You can’t help but think the worse, even when everyone around you is telling you to hope for the best. And I do, I always hope for the best, and I know the best will happen. But when you’re stuck playing the waiting game, it feels more like… purgatory.

We went to our regular obstetrician yesterday (not the ultrasound guy), and asked him about our concern with the ultrasound findings. He told us that out of all the thousands of pregnancies he has done, he’s only seen an echogenicities alone with no other indicators, less than 3-4 times. He also told us that single indicators alone on an ultrasound turn out to be nothing 99% of the time. And considering her blood test results and healthy status, there isn’t a need for an amniocentesis. Now this is the information we would have loved to hear during our last ultrasound visit. Needless to say, we went home yesterday as content parents, and not terrified out-of-our mind parents.

We are still in the same status as we have been, but at least we have more assurance now that it’s not something we should have been fretting over so much because of what the last doctor said. So we wait, until the 31st of this month, when we return to the ultrasound doctor and hope to see Avin’s small intestines again, only not so bright this time.

Today however, is a waiting day.

This is something that has been on my mind ever since our last ultrasound on January 8th. I wanted to write about it in hopes that I could compose my thoughts and also get insight from others who may have had similar experiences.

My sister, who was concerned about our experience with our last ultrasound, had a discussion with a friend of hers who has been an emt/nurse for little over 20 years. The insight she gave my sister made me reconsider the situation the doctor we visited had given us. I mentioned before that I take everything with a grain of salt, and I still do, and I understand that since nor my sister or her friend were there, they won’t be able to interpret the situation to it’s full extent. But that doesn’t mean considering their insight is something I’m going to disregard.

The one thing that I keep asking myself is, “Was it right for the doctor to recommend an amniocentesis with such a low percentage indicator?” I’m not sure if he was just having a bad day or what, but he made us feel like we had a high risk pregnancy. With a 3-4% chance of down syndrome, and no other indicators, would anyone really do an amniocentesis? Especially when the risk of that test doing more damage than good is, give or take, the same percentage of having down syndrome in the first place? I just don’t see the need for a test that only gives us a yes or no, with false positives, with a risk of causing a miscarriage, just to know, when the only indicator makes it such a low possibility. The doctor didn’t seem to understand how I felt about this, and I’m not sure why.

He also seemed to mention abortion quite a few times, even when I thought I made it clear that abortion was not an option for us. Which also makes me wonder if he thought we were just some stupid young couple who shouldn’t be having a child. Either way, I don’t think he understood the effect his words had on us. If you remember the last entry about this, I had said that Adrienne didn’t even make it out of the elevator before she was in tears. I know this is our first child, but something tells me that’s not what’s supposed to happen after seeing your child move around on an ultrasound screen, so you can imagine how the doctor made us feel by what he said.

Maybe if he approached us a little different, explained himself more, and used a much happier tone, the whole experience could have been different. But since it happened the way it did, we decided we weren’t going to be seeing that doctor anymore, and I don’t think anyone would blame me for saying that.

This also makes me wonder how many oblivious and naive parents out there have experiences like this only to end up having an abortion when it wasn’t even necessary? Not that abortion and necessary should even be in the same sentence, but that’s a whole other debate in itself, and one that I don’t want to get into.

I’d like to hear some insight on what others think about the situation. And although none of you were there, and it’s near impossible for me to explain what he said and how I felt at the moment, I still want to hear what others have to say.

I’d like to take a chance to thank my buddy Sean for nominating IEYU for a few awards on Blogger’s Choice. And even though I have a very slim chance of winning anything, I still think it’s pretty cool to have a nomination. Also, it gives me a reason to add another graphic to my sidebar, which I think looks pretty nice!

So, if anyone wants me to vote for their blog, I’d be happy to do so, even if you didn’t vote for me! And to anyone who does vote for me, my gratitude goes out to you. Vote here!

If you have a blog of your own you would like me to vote for, leave your link in a comment and I’ll send a vote your way!

Well, not really. We’re pretty young actually. But I wouldn’t hold that against us. It just means we’ll have more time to see Avin grow up and experience more before we end up kicking the bucket. But that’s all besides the point.

Adrienne and I were poking through some of our old baby photos we had earlier today and couldn’t help but wonder who Avin was going to end up looking like more. Which features is he going to take from who? Is he going to get my long eyelashes, or Adrienne’s bright eyes? Or is he going to have a perfect mix from the both us? I guess we’ll just have to stop being so impatient and wait and see.

Here are some pics of us from the days of old. Look at that shirt! I’d still rock that if I could. No comment on the blue shorts.

With Avin being about 4-5 months away, we are starting to get more and more of the essential type things ready for him. Things like diapers, bottles, clothes, etc. so I started thinking about the possibility of buying Green products for our baby, and if it was even worth it. I’ve always been an idealist my entire life, and being able to do things that take little effort that pay off big in the long wrong seem like a win win situation for anyone. I decided to do some googling about going green with your baby and found some fantastic information from Treehugger, and their guide on How to Green Your Baby. If you want the whole package, check out their guide, if you want a simple summarized version of the info I found, than keep reading.

Why go Green?
The Go Green Initiative can answer this one for me:

The world has a fixed amount of natural resources - some of which are already depleted. So as population growth greatly strains our finite resources, there are fewer resources available. If we intend to leave our children and grandchildren with the same standard of living we have enjoyed, we must preserve the foundation of that standard of living. We save for college educations, orthodontia, and weddings, but what about saving clean air, water, fuel sources and soil for future generations?

Seems pretty obvious to me, save your resources so the generations after us will be able to live with them as well. What’s better for the environment makes it better for humanity as a whole. Having this mentality also teaches a wonderful lesson to your children. It teaches them how to look at the big picture, and how to make decisions based on what’s best for everyone, and not just for themselves. This is something that I learned at a young age, and something I hope my son will learn as well.

Some info you may or may not know….

• For every ton of paper that is recycled, the following is saved: 7,000 gallons of water; 380 gallons of oil; and enough electricity to power an average house for six months.
• You can run a TV for six hours on the amount of electricity that is saved by recycling one aluminum can.
• By recycling just one glass bottle, you save enough electricity to power a 100-watt bulb for four hours.

(from the Go Green Initiative)

Here are some tips on how to start Greening your baby:

1. Diapers - The average baby uses approx 6,000 diapers before potty training. Babies in the U.S. uses approximately 49 million diapers a day. Babies use a crazy amount of diapers, we all know that. While disposable diapers may be cheaper in some places, and easy to obtain, they still pose a problem for the environment. According to the numbers, petroleum-based disposable diapers take between 200 and 500 years to decompose. Finding an alternative to the disposable diaper is definitely something to consider.

So what are the alternatives?

Cloth - a.k.a. kickin’ it old school. An obvious reason to use cloth diapers is that because they are reusable, you save a lot of money in the long wrong by not having to buy a ton of diapers. A drawback to this is that even though you don’t have to buy new diapers, you are still spending money, time, and energy by having to wash them.

One study has found that home-washing cloth diapers has only 53% of the ecological footprint of disposables, and if you use a diaper laundering service that impact is halved again. (Treehugger)

Even though the days of cloth diapers are long in the past, there are still new types of reusable diapers that are worth considering. Some companies have created eco-friendly cloth diapers which are made of hemp, bamboo, and organic cotton. Some of these diapers also give you the option of using removable flushable liners. By using a laundry service, or an energy efficient machine at lower temps, reusable cloth diapers may be a great alternative to the disposable.

Where to buy and how much?

Better For Babies - This website sells Organic Cotton Diapers for $19.95 and come in a variety of colors such as White, Willow Green, Sunny Orange, and Elemental Blue. They come in many sizes and types of closures. They also sell Organic Hemp Fitted Diapers that range from $15.95 to $17.95 and also come in a variety of colors.

Want to know more about cloth diapers? Check these out:

Cloth Diapering Basics - http://www.betterforbabies.com/clothdiaperingbasics.html
Why Cloth Diapers? - http://www.betterforbabies.com/cloth_diapers_vs_disposable.html
DIY Oz Cloth Nappies - http://www.ozclothnappies.org/links.html#knitting

Biodegradable Diapers - These types of diapers are made with plant based plastics, also known as bioplastics. They are derived from plant sources such as hemp oil, soy bean oil, and corn starch rather than petroleum which disposable diapers are made from.

While these have been found not to break down under landfill conditions, there are other options to compost them such as using a composting toilet, an earthworm system, or a highly active and properly conditioned composting area. Hybrid diapers, like gDiapers, have removable inserts that can safely biodegrade when flushed. (Treehugger)

These diapers are designed to break down quickly after they are disposed of, and is usually made without chemicals from postconsumer material. They are designed to be comfortable, ecologically sound, and easy to use. These biodegradable diapers can be used in composting and vermicomposting, where they can break down quicker than they would in a landfill. And although these composts wouldn’t be suitable for most plants, they can be used for flowers and other decorative plants. Check with your local utility company to see if your local garbage collection includes composting, where you can discard these diapers.

Where to buy and how much?

gDiapers - gDiapers sells biodegradable flushables for $14.49 for a 40 pack. These flushable inserts are to be used with their Little g Pants, which can be purchased for $16.99 and are available in a variety of colors. They also have a starter kit for sale which includes 2 Little g Pants and 10 flushables for $26.99, which makes for a great gift for parents to be!

More info on flushables:

Why flushing is good for the planet - http://www.gdiapers.com/flushinggood

2. Clothing - Green baby clothing comes in many different materials including hemp, bamboo, and organic cotton. They are extremely trendy, super soft, and designed oh so beautifully. They are also created without the use of toxic chemicals which is wonderful for sensitive skin, and also last longer through constant washing. The problem however, is that most Green baby clothing is a little more expensive than the traditional cotton clothes. Considering that babies grow incredibly fast, spending a lot of money on clothes that won’t be used for that long isn’t the greatest idea.

Where to buy and how much?

American Apparel - AA sells organic sustainable clothes that range from $8 to $14 in a variety of styles.
Better For Babies - They have a variety of styles and colors of organic cotton and wool clothing.

some others I enjoy:

• Go Goose Go! - http://www.gogoosego.com
• My Conservation Baby - http://www.myconservationbaby.com
• Ferdinand - http://www.ferdinandhomestore.com
• Nina and Tom - http://www.ninaandtom.com
• Bamboosa - http://www.bamboosa.com
• WonderToast - http://www.wondertoast.com
• Irie Star - http://www.iriestar.com

3. Other Green Stuff

Food - I don’t really need to go into eating healthy organic food. You find these products everywhere because it’s all the craze. If you don’t know what I’m talking about then check out your local Target or Whole Foods Store.

Toys - It really isn’t necessary to get into why we should or shouldn’t buy Green toys. Toys are toys. They are fun regardless. However, with the abundance of toy recalls in the past year because of lead, maybe going Green is the better option. They also seem to appeal to me and most of them are designed and marketed so beautifully, it’s no wonder why I’m attracted to them. Check out some of these examples.

Where to buy and how much?

Branch: Sustainable Design for Living - I would probably spend way to much on this site if I could. I especially like the Standing Leopard, which is made out of natural wool yarn, treated with natural vegetable-based dyes, and costs only $24.00.

Our Green House - This website has a variety of natural toys that range from dolls to puzzles to natural crafts.

Clean Green - Cleaning products are a necessity in any family. More so when you have a baby in the house. Buying Green cleaning products can help you not only have a clean house, but a toxic chemical free house as well. Check out this guide on Treehugger, How to Green Your Cleaning.

Need more Green? Check out these links:

Treehugger
Go Green Initiative
Great Green Baby

In conclusion, I think the whole Green revolution is great. It’s a needed step towards progressing society into sustainable living. We do so much that’s destructive to our environment and it’s great to see a growing trend on making sure we don’t do any more damage than we have to. So, are we going to go Green with our baby? We’re definitely going to try. It will take a lot more work, and maybe even a little extra money. You have to ask yourself if spending that extra dollar, and taking the extra time is worth the trouble of going Green. As I always say, the truth is in the middle. We want to save money and make things easier on the family, but we also want to save our environment, so meeting somewhere in the middle is what we’re going to try and do. As time goes by, society will start to accept Green products as the norm, which in turn makes the products cheaper, and more accessible for everyone. Sooner than later I hope.

As you may or may not have noticed, IEYU has an entirely new look! The last layout was nice, but I think this new layout is way more distinct and interesting. It screams out fun, and fun is what we’re all about.

Let me know what you think about the new design, and check back soon for more updates!

 I finally took some more pictures of Avin’s awesome duds, and i’d like to thank our family and friends who got him some of this awesome stuff.

A special thanks for Jeff and Kaylin, the cats love their new bed!

 Baby Mocs to match dad’s!

Hot Panda Collection 

Project Red from Gap, a gift from Aunt May and Uncle Dave!

 For the most part, the ultrasound went very well. We were able to take home a bunch of new pictures and spent a good amount of time watching our baby squirm around and cover his face with his hands. He must have been a little bashful today. His measurements were normal, his heart rate was perfect, and his weight was just fine. Around 12 ounces to be exact. We also found out that the length from his elbow to his shoulder was about an inch. After the nurse was done collecting data on the ultrasound, she went and fetched the doctor so he could do a double check and let us be on our way. The doctor came in a short time after, looked over some paperwork, and told us that Adrienne’s blood tests all looked fine, and there were no indicators for any problems. It felt great to hear that. “Everything seems fine”, I thought to myself. That feeling however, didn’t last very long, and the next words to come out of the doctor’s mouth made me feel the most horrible emotions I have ever felt:

“Everything seems okay, but there may be a problem.”

If you were in the room at the time, you would have probably been able to hear the sound of my heart falling into my stomach. For some reason my mind automatically replaces the words “may be” with “is”. So of course I’m thinking to myself, “Oh my God, I did something wrong.” I somehow muttered some sort of who, what, where, how question back to the doctor hoping that I may have been mistaken. He explained to us that the ultrasound showed his small intestines being bright. Which of course can mean a million and one different things. A couple of those things being down syndrome and cystic fibrosis. I usually take things with a grain of salt, and I never fully rely on assumptions unless it has a greater chance of it being true. But even so, I was terrified. All a parent ever wants is to have a healthy baby, and anything that takes that security away can be especially heart-wrenching. What makes it worse is that you have absolutely no control over it.

Although this is a concern, it’s not something to worry and stress over. Since there weren’t any other indicators for down syndrome or CF, it makes it a very low possibility. The doctor also said that it could be blood inside his intestines which he swallowed from inside the womb. If this is the case, then it should disappear by our next visit in 3 weeks. If the next ultrasound shows the same thing we saw today, then we may have to decide again whether to have an amniocentesis. But until then, I’m not going to worry. Or, I’ll try not to at least.

Update: I did some googling today based on the information that we received from the doctor and what I found is more reassurance on why we shouldn’t worry as much. Here is what I found:

I believe she is referring to ‘echogenicities’ in the fetal bowel which is considered to be one of the ultrasonic “soft signs” suggesting that the fetus may be suffering from chromosomal abnomalities the most common one of course is Down syndrome. The cause of the echogenicities is not clearly known but would appear to be due to calcified meconium or a maldevelopment of the gut of the fetus. The risk of Down syndrome in the presence of the findings of echogenic bowel is only 1.4% according to a study form the Benacerraf group in Boston. Other groups however had quoted a higher incidence. Counselling and genetic amniocentesis appear to be justified in the presence of such findings.

 There are several items that can be found during an ultrasound exam that some researchers have felt that may have a significant association with Down syndrome. These findings may be seen in normal fetuses, but some obstetricians believe that their presence increases the risk of the fetus having Down syndrome or other chromosomal abnormality. These “markers” include choroid plexus cyst, echogenic bowel, echogenic intracardiac focus, and dilitation of the kidneys (pyelctasis). However, these markers as a sign of Down syndrome are still controversial, and parents-to-be should keep in mind that each marker can also be found in a small percentage of normal fetuses. These ultrasound markers are best used in women over 35 or those who have a positive blood screening test, to either downgrade the risk (in cases where no such findings are seen in the ultrasound exam) or confirm that the pregnancy is high-risk for Down syndrome. In women under 35 years of age with normal maternal serum screen test results, the identification of one of these findings on the ultrasound is not significant enough to make a pregnancy high-risk for Down syndrome.

Enough time has passed in my life where I can look back and (mostly) understand the things my parents had taught me, or at least tried to teach me, or maybe forgot to teach me as I was growing up. I wish now that I had paid attention and listened to the importance of knowing these things and how they will ultimately shape the person that I have become, or have yet to become. I plan and hope that I will be able to teach these things to my son, so he truly understands the importance of each lesson as he begins his life.

1. Don’t forget to be a kid. - Or better yet, don’t be in such a hurry to grow up. Life moves way to fast. Even when it seems to move slower than usual, it still passes by way to quickly. Kids are always stuck in a push-pull situation where parents and teachers are telling them to be responsible, grow up, act more like an adult, and yet, at the same time they are pushed back. Everyone telling them they can’t do this or that because they are just a kid. Or maybe because they aren’t old enough, or aren’t mature enough to understand. Try and recall a time when you can remember how this made you feel when someone treated you that way. I hope to remind not only Avin, but my self that being young is not something to be taken for granted. Because before we know it, responsibilities stack up and society forces us to give into it’s demands.

2. You can learn something from anything - I think this is something I’ve taught myself throughout the years. And it’s something I’ll never forget throughout my entire life. More importantly it means to never stop learning. Never stop seeking out knowledge. Never stop progressing. There is always something to learn from every experience, person, and situation that happens in your life. A lot of people seem tune out the world around them when it doesn’t involve school or work. I hope that my son understands the importance of learning from his experiences. I hope that I can teach him that you can learn things from anyone, no matter who they are, or what they do. Even if that person may disagree with you, or hold different beliefs and convictions than you do. In fact, you may even learn more from those people than the people you do agree with.

3. There is a time for work, a time for play, and a maybe even a time for both - I’ve come to learn that sometimes work and play have no distinction. Especially in the work that I do, where I actually enjoy it most of the time. It’s sort of my own personal play time that I get paid for. I want to teach my son that work can also be play, and even some play can be work, instead of teaching him the traditional sense of work first, play later. Work and play should walk hand in hand, and not take rank over each other.

4. Never let your school get in the way of your education - This almost goes hand in hand with #2. Never stop learning. Just because you’re not in school, doesn’t mean you can’t further your education, and also doesn’t mean you should stop learning. I want my son to always be seeking knowledge, regardless of how the school system should teach him to learn. In other words, I want his education to be far greater, and reach way further than what the school curriculum does.

5. Don’t be so serious - This one is pretty obvious. Just relax. Everyone takes life, work, and school so seriously that they often forget to stop for a moment and pay attention to their own lives. They forget to appreciate the smaller details, the ones that make life worth living for. The experiences that you share together with the people that are important to you. It’s great to have goals and determination, but not so much that it takes away from the time in your life where you can just let loose, relax, and enjoy those experiences you can share.

6. Be a participant in your own life - In other words, be mindful of yourself. Be aware of everything you do or say. Nothing is as important as this very moment. I hope to teach my son that when you eat, eat. When you clean, clean. When you read, read. Be present in your reading, and participate in your journey. Usually we are all ahead, thinking for the future, planning something we want to do, or thinking about what we are going to say to someone, etc. Or maybe we are thinking about the past, reliving our memories, not wanting to forget about them. Because of this, we become unaware of what’s going on right in front of us. When being mindful of your thoughts and actions, you can take the time to stop and be aware of your own thoughts, and how you may interpret them, instead of being so quick to judge and assume before you even take the chance to see the truth for what it really is.

7. Deal with the consequences of your own actions - People love to point the finger, exaggerate, and even lie to make sure that they save their own face regardless of how it may effect someone else. No matter what happens, or who performs the action, everyone should man up and deal with the consequences of their own actions. Being able to make the right choice depends on being able to deal with the wrong ones.

8. Life changes, with or without you - Planning rarely works the way it’s supposed to, and most of us can agree with that. We never planned on having a child yet, but life decided that it’s going to happen, whether we are ready or not. I want to teach my son how to accept change and progress with it, or else he’s going to be left behind, not knowing what to do next, which causes a lot of people to just give up. And I don’t ever want my son to give up. We also spend so many years in school thinking that it’s going to prepare us for life in the “real world”, only coming to realize that we have no idea what we’re doing. Learning to adapt and accept change, whatever that change may be, seems to be the best way to get by.

9. Your financial status mean very little in the grand scheme of things - “He who dies with the most toys, still dies.” I heard this phrase at church at a young age, and it has stuck with me ever since (Ha, I did learn something at church!). Because the way our society glamourizes the rich and famous, we all grow up to believe that to be truly happy, one must have the most money, and the biggest and best of things. This of course, is untrue. Unfortunately it takes many people many years to realize this, and even then, some never do. I hope that my son comes to realize this at an early age. I hope that he comes to realize that happiness comes from his own experiences and how he interprets them. I hope he never judges someone based on their financial status. And I hope he never compares his life to anyone else by the amount of money or material things he has.

10. Do what you love - This is something that seems to be long forgotten once you start getting older. When you were a kid, you could tell your parents you wanted to be an astronaut and they would say, “That’s wonderful sweetheart! Be an astronaut!”. If I said that to my parents now, they would probably think I’m on drugs. (I know I can’t be an astronaut now, but that’s besides the point). So what happened between those years of having dreams and now? We all stopped doing what we loved. And what makes it worse is that no one cared! What happened to our curiosity? Our creativity? It all seems to dwindle away the more we age, and no one does anything to make it stop. By the time it’s all over we look back and realize we wasted so much time working for someone else, hating our jobs, because we never pursued what we truly loved to do, whatever that may be. I’ll never tell my son he’s crazy for wanting to do something he loves, no matter what age.

If anyone has anything they would add to the list than post it in a comment!