Say What?

I promised I would update you guys! I had another appointment at IU today for one of my biweekly check ups, a growth scan, and fetal echo. I learned some new things and reiterated some of the old. First and foremost, his growth scan went beautifully. Everything with the exception of his heart still looks perfect. They even estimate that he weighs a whooping 3lbs 8oz right now and it even appears that his growth may have caught up a bit! I was most pleased with that prospect, even if it is just a mere estimate. We got some super cute pictures too. He definitely has the same nose little Riley does, which made me tear up. His little profile and chubby cheeks were the sweetest little things. Of course he has 9 tons of placenta mushed up against his little face so the tech couldn't turn the 4D on. I was a little bummed about that, but we wouldn't have seen much anyways because stinker had his hands right up in his face the whole time. So we either saw hand or placenta. Boo. Maybe next time, eh Lukas? Mama wants to see that sweet little face of yours! P.S. - Here's a little belly picture for you all from today. I apologize its on my phone though so the quality isn't exactly stellar =(

(sorry for the dirtiness of my mirror - yikes)

his nose and upper lip - that big blob next to his nose is my placenta (told you he is smooshed!)

The echo also went well. This time we saw Dr. Farrah, who was incredibly kind and informative as well. She really took a lot of time to ensure every question I had was answered and each question with met with an incredibly knowledgeable response. She even explained this incredibly amazing mission trip she is taking along with Lukas' very own Dr. Turrentine to Amman, Jordan where they are going to operate on the tiny hearts of 12 very deserving little ones who wouldn't have the means to receive these operations any other way. Pretty cool, huh?

love this special little heart =)

In any event, the cardiologists are still very confident in their diagnosis of truncus type I. I did learn that only about 40% of babies with truncus get the opportunity to go home for any amount of time before their operations. In some ways I had expected that, but it still tugged at my heart a bit to hear. Dr. Farrah told me that one of the biggest concerns in babies with truncus is that common truncal valve because this will eventually become his aortic valve. In a normal, healthy human heart it is a tricuspid valve, meaning it has three leaflets. However children with truncus can have up to 6 leaflets with some abnormalities of the valve itself. This of course creates the concern that the valve won't function as it should. Dr. Farrah said they can tell somewhat by echo if the valve is narrowed or leaking by taking a peek at the outflow from that common valve. She did this today and noticed only a small amount of backflow and very minimal narrowing, which is good. The best news though? She got a perfect look directly on top of Lukas' truncal valve. It only has 3 leaflets! Woo hoo! Now, they won't be able to get an accurate picture of how that valve looks and functions until after he is born though. But for now that is awesome news. You could clearly see each of the three leaflets and watch them move. Amazing stuff indeed. My mother-in-law also got to go with me and witness everything too, which I think she enjoyed =) 

The end of the appointment was a little interesting if I may say so myself. You see, I was under the impression I would have non-stress tests at each appointment starting at 32 weeks. Clearly I was wrong in this assumption. I have to have them twice a week until I deliver. TWICE A WEEK! What? That means sometimes I will grace IU's campus up to three times in one week alone depending on the dates of my appointments/growth scans/echos. I have so many appointment cards in my purse its crazy! Everyday is an adventure, I tell you.

All in all it was a good appointment, even with the little twist there at the end. On a totally unrelated note, I am so sad for our Butler Bulldogs! I wish they could have brought home the W, but they had an amazing season and I am still so proud of them. My big brother is a Butler grad, so that school will always have a special place in my heart =)

Have a happy Tuesday friends and please keep a-prayin' for our sweet boy!