Update: Doctors say it's Tony's fault

Not really. But Tony's blood test did show that he does have the E antigen, which probably means that John got it, which is why I am producing the anti-E antigen.
Thanks to Dr. Chapman in the Maternal Fetal medicine office, I have a better understanding of the whole thing now. (She drew a picture.) I don't have the E antigen, I have the anti-E antigen (Igg), which could attack the possible E antigen on Twohy's red blood cells, causing the possibility of anemia danger. The E antigen itself is not a problem for Tony or John, it's just a rare trait of the blood. Dr. Chapman also said the risk from this situation goes up with each subsequent pregnancy, so the only way to avoid it is to find a partner without the E antigen. But she said she didn't recommend that at this point.

This week's ultrasound looked very good. I have another next Thursday. I didn't get a weight on Twohy this week, the ultrasound was really fast.
I'll try to post this week's pictures and last week's soon.
My two-week check-up with Hearn was fine, I have another in 2 weeks.

We are just counting out the clock, in a race to see if Twohy can be born before developing anemia! So silly, I know!

Not too late to donate

The American Heart Association Low Country Walk is this coming Saturday!
Please help us reach our goal if you haven't donated yet. Every little bit helps!
Thank you again!

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1 in 16

1 in 16 is the dilution rate for the anti-Rh E in my blood that is the cause for concern for hemolytic anemia in Twohy. My last blood test (last Tuesday) hit that rate, but OBGYN Hearn had already talked to Maternal Fetal Sciences doctor Mabie, and continued ultrasounds focused on the blood pressure in Twohy's brain are the way to go.
The first ultrasound last Wednesday showed that Twohy is just fine, w/ brain BP of 49, the normal range; 150 would be anemic. So, we just watch and wait. I have another ultrasound and a regular 2-week check up on Wednesday. I don't know if the frequency of the blood tests will go up (they have been once a month), or if now that I have reached the "magic number" it doesn't matter anymore...
Tony is being tested today, I guess to make sure the anti-e antigen came from my last pregnancy. I haven't had any blood transfusions, which is the only other way to get it...

Worst case scenario (not that we're anywhere near this, but I like to know): if Twohy develops anemia, possibilities include delivering him early (he has passed the 28-week viability deadline) or in-utero blood transfusion. Neither is desirable, but they are both common enough to be "normal" for abnormal situations!

BTW the ultrasound last week showed Twohy to be at 3 pounds 8 ounces, again, right on track!

Just another example of our small family's weird karma: nothing HUGE, just weird.

[Here's an article about it, pretty much saying what I just said, but said by a qualified professional.]

4th down

No, not a football post, don't you know me?
Today's drop off was the best yet. We slept kind of late, because John was up from 3-5 the night/morning before. It took about 20 minutes to wake him up and keep him from falling back to sleep. I let him eat some cheerios in bed while I was making his lunch. He loved that. He ate couple bites of breakfast sandwich in the car, and was still working on it when we got to school. We sat on the walkway outside the school entrance and watched other kids being dropped off and walked in. I think that helped. No one was crying, so that definitely helped me!
By the time he was done with the breakfast sandwich, he was ready to go in. He skipped down the hall and went straight to his room. When we got there, he cooled off a little and grabbed his Bee and Baby, but there were no tears and leg-holding, and I was able to sail out the door pretty quickly.
Yay!

And the evening and the morning were the third day

Well, just the morning.
Third day drop off. He started crying earlier, but there was no leg holding. He wanted to stay in James's room. Today was James's first day and we ran into him, Kerri, and Andy as we were getting out of the car. Kerri snapped some pics of John, since I didn't take any yesterday. I'll have to take some when he's happier about the whole thing. I don't think I could handle a camera and a crying John.
Today's pick-up will be different, since he and James will be in the same room. I hope it's not too hard on James to see him leave. I've been toying with the idea of sending John full days (till 5pm) on Tuesdays and Thursdays, to give me more work time and so that the two J's are together... we'll see.

The second hurdle and Twohy's and my checkup

We had screaming and leg-grabbing again today at school drop off. It was worse for me today, because there were more kids who were screaming (literally) "No, Mommy, no..." How is everyone there not weeping? It's so heart-wrenching!
I picked John up at 2pm, today was his first full day with after care. Basically from 12 to 2 he has lunch and a nap and then it's time to go. Miss Frances and Miss Gilles said he had a great time. I couldn't get him to talk much about school, but it will come when he is more used to its culture...

Twohy and I had a regular checkup with Dr. Hearn today. My blood pressure and his are good. We are on a two-week schedule now that we are counting down the last 8 weeks.
My blood glucose test was good. However, my e-antibody titer went up to 1 in 8. Hearn called the maternal fetal medicine doctor in Greenville, and I will go in for an ultrasound next Wednesday to check blood flow in the head to check Twohy for anemia. Still not at the "worry" level of 1 in 16, but it is slowly creeping up. Also, Hearn said I should start taking iron because my hemoglobin is a little low. That might help with my afternoon fatigue?

So we're all on schedule and doing fine. Until whatever the next thing is. I guess that will be Tony leaving for Louisville tomorrow morning, if you count that sort of thing. John is counting down the days until Mimi and Pa's arrival on Friday.

The first hurdle

Today is John's orientation day for his new school, the Holy Trinity Episcopal Day School. I dropped him off a little before 9, and tried to get him involved in something... washing hands and "flying" his yellow bird, which has his name on it, from the door of the room to the chalkboard... (the way they keep track of who is there each day). However, he was clingy and shy, so I opted to bolt. I left really fast, with him trying to grab my leg and the teacher having to hold him back. HATED that, but I think if I had drawn it out it would have set a bad precedent and delayed the inevitable. After all, he IS three now... wanting his mommy at this stage just looks like weakness. What will the college application boards think?!?
I know he will calm down soon, and that he will have a good time. There is so much more structure and variety here than at the Growing Place, movement, music, language, etc. However, I did have my private tear-oozing session as I drove home (and now, thinking about it). I don't worry that it's the right thing for him, I don't worry about his teachers (they seem very great, and excellent foils for each other), I don't worry that he will eventually adjust. It's just so hard to see my happy little boy so upset...
The added complication is that they don't allow him to carry around his Bee and baby. I asked about that at the parents' meeting, and cried at the teachers because of it. The teacher said that if he needs, she will take him to his cubby and let him have a minute with it. She also said "I'll become his transitional object." Right... I'm very torn about this. On the one hand, it seems cruel to deny him his transitional object just as he is making a HUGE transition. On the other hand, I can sympathize with the teachers having to keep track of 11 different stuffed animals and blankets. On the other other hand, part of me is saying, "Just wait. You'll be letting him have that baby before the day is through." On the other other other hand, it will probably be easier to help him let it go at school now than in kindergarten, when other kids make fun of anything different. The teacher also mentioned that she also likes to teach the kids about their thumbs. I can't remember exactly how she phrased it, but I DEFINITELY don't want him to start sucking his thumb as an alternative. But as Tony said, we're not sure that's exactly what she meant...
Anyway, he's only there until 11:30 today, tomorrow will be his first real day (9am-2pm). That will be another hurdle, but at least we've started the course.

The Mom's Art of Self-Defense

Two of the things I've learned that I didn't REALLY understand the motivation for until I became a mom:
Moms cut the crusts off the sandwich to minimize the amount of wasted sandwich, not to appease the child.
Making a child wiggle fingers, toes, arms, legs, etc. after bumping them is a distraction technique, rather than a quasi-medical test for broken bones.

I'm not sure what this says most about me. That my parents were very convincing? That I'm very good at overlooking the obvious?

My brush with celebrity

My friend Rita, from work, is the 2009 Kentucky State Fair SPAM champion!!!
Eat your heart out, Kerri...

The stage of pregnancy I'm in

My arms are getting too short to reach things.
My feet are starting to swell.
Twohy's kicks are no longer delightful little flutters but full-out jabs that take my breath away.
I have to wear sneakers all the time for my feet and back.
My innie is approaching outie status.
Heartburn is making a comeback.
Fatigue has replaced energy and ambition.
I can't get my wedding ring off.

Typical

Yesterday I sent John upstairs for his Bee, as we were about to go somewhere. A couple minutes later, after not hearing anything, I went to the stairs. He was partway down again, and said "Mommy, what am I doing upstairs?"

He gets this strain from both sides: Daddy, just by being a male, and Mommy, who has a memory like a sieve.