Pickles and caramel sauce, yum yum yum

Since I last wrote, I've decided to change doctors. After seeking more information about the placental abruption and getting a better understanding of what I was seeing from ultrasound technicians, I believe the use of such dire words as "it looks ugly" were unnecessary.

I'll have time for a better medical update next week, when I plan to be on vacation, but the brief version is there is a small problem that needs careful watching to make sure it doesn't worsen or affect the baby.

On to the pickles and caramel sauce.

This weekend my Alayna was very hungry. I think she is going through a growth spurt.
On Sunday, she'd already had a very nice, healthy, hearty lunch, but still had her apples. My mom asked if she wanted to dip her apples in some caramel sauce. She said yes.

So she put a dollop on her plate right next to the remaining ketchup from lunch. (She likes to dip things.) She mixed the caramel and ketchup together and dipped her apples. "MMmmm, tasty," she said. When the apples were gone, she was left with the rinds of bread-and-butter pickles and a couple tortilla chips on her plate. She typically eats the center out of the pickle circles and leaves the rest. Well, that dip of caramel and ketchup was so good, she placed a pickle rind on a chip and dipped that. Apparently, that also hit the spot. She ate the remaining pieces of pickle and chip the same way.

Later in the day, she was involved in some heavy pretending. Talking with her stuffed animals, Grandma and I. Suddenly, Alayna looked a the sunroom door and exclaimed: "Rabbit's here!"
She ran to the door. Opened it. And said: "Oh, Rabbit. It's so good to see you. How wonderful!"
Then she proceeded to introduce the imaginary rabbit friend to Grandma and I. A little while later, she ran to the door to invite Rabbit's friend in.

That three-year-old imagination is wonderful.

One more Alayna story today. Alayna has discovered jokes ... kind of. Last night she told me she was going to tell me pink mushroom jokes. Here's how the first one went: "Mama say pink mushroom." "Pink mushroom." "Pink Mushroom who." Not knowing what i was supposed to say I responded: "Pink mushroom you."
This was followed by much enjoyable belly laughter, first by Alayna and then by me because she was so funny.
A comedian is born ... or if you think back to the pickles and caramel-ketchup sauce, maybe an Iron Chef!

Ultrasound: joyous, then numbing

After seeing Alayna off, I had an ultrasound and doctor's appointment this morning. Ultrasound appointments have typically been something to which I really look forward.
This morning, I got to see baby stick her tongue out at me and bat away pokes to my tummy with the ultrasound wand. I could see all four chambers of her heart beating away and a well-formed spine. I accounted for all 10 fingers and all 10 toes, all the major bones and a profile that looks a lot like Alayna's ultrasound photos. Seeing her stick out her tongue was particularly entertaining.

She measured right on track for her age. She measures at 21 weeks 4 days and is 21 weeks 6 days. That's right at the 50th percentile.

But then the ultrasound technician asked if I'd had any bleeding. I said no and asked why. She mumbled something I couldn't understand so I asked again. She said the "membranes hadn't fused" and she was going to get the doctor. I had no idea what that meant, but decided it was probably not too bad and she would have the doctor look just to be careful.

It turns out there are two large blood clots interfering with the placenta's attachment to the wall of the uterus and that that could be detrimental to the baby. The doctor's word's "I'm going to be honest with you; your placenta is looking really ugly."

Rather than an insult, it was just scary. I've become very attached to this baby, with her deadline and middle-of-the-night kicking patterns. The other very scary thing was the way the ultrasound technician said she was sorry.

The doctor said there isn't much to do except monitor the pregnancy closely. I'll need to have an ultrasound once a week to check the baby's growth and the blood clots.

She talked a lot about the loss of babies, which I don't really remember very well. I think I did an excellent job of blocking it out. I do remember she said that someone else who developed the same thing at 12 weeks recently delivered a healthy baby.

I think it will take a day or two to not feel distressed. In the meantime, I need to explain to Alayna that I'm not allowed to pick her up for a while. That is likely to result in the occasional tantrum and will be hard on everyone.

I'll provide updates as I get them. In the meantime, I still feel the baby kicking and pray she'll stay healthy.