Memorial day weekend

Last weekend, Carrie came into town. We had a great time visiting family, hanging out and shopping. We also got rid of some furniture and acquired some new stuff. All in all, a productive weekend. We spent some time at Jeff's Uncle and Aunt's beachhouse in Galveston and bought a new recliner and dresser in preparation for the baby. Here are the pics:

Baby Bump link

And I also added a link on the side of the page to the baby bump album so you can access it easily. I usually take my pictures on Wednesday's, but sometimes can't post it until Thurs or Friday. So, anyway, I took a picture today so you can see what I look like and the baby looks like at the same time. Of course, comments are always welcome!

Have a great day!

And the results are in. It's a ...

BOY!



Jeff and I met with my high risk Doc today and had a really great appointment. The lady doing the ultrasound is super nice and very knowledgeable. The ultrasound lasted about 30 minutes and we even scored a free dvd of the whole thing! She took lots of pictures and was very thorough in explaining everything she was doing. They basically do a head to toe assessment of the baby and make sure everything is where it's supposed to be and working properly. And it is. So much so that I don't need to go back and see them if the pregnancy and my health continue to progress they way it is now. Which I hope it does. I also asked if they do the 3d/4d ultrasounds there and she said they do, usually around 27-30 weeks, and then proceeded to take a couple of 3d pictures for us. I really, really like her (she did my ultrasound last time, too) and the Doc. Kinda sad that I won't get to see them again, but that is because everything is going well. The baby weighs about 8 ounces so far, which is a tiny bit bigger than normal for this gestation, but not a big deal. Still measuring around 18 weeks, give or take a few days. So all in all, a very good appointment. And now here are the pics for your enjoyment.

Sarcoma in the news

So I was reading a yahoo headline that caught my eye. A young football player is diagnosed with cancer. Curious as to what type of cancer he has, I clicked on the link. To my surprise, it was Ewing's Sarcoma, which is a type of sarcoma. More common than the one I have, which is epithiloid spindle cell sarcoma (a mouthful, I know!). Anyway, here is the article if anyone is interested.


Thu May 14, 2009 2:32 pm EDT

Breaking: All-American Herzlich diagnosed with cancer
By Matt Hinton

Even for relatively diehard fans, it might have been possible to get through the last couple seasons knowing Mark Herzlich only as "the guy with the crazy facepaint," but that would be missing the lead: The 6'4", 240-pound Boston College linebacker was the defensive player of the year in a conference that had six defenders picked in the first two rounds of this year's draft, and might have joined teammate B.J. Raji in the top-10 if he hadn't decided to come back for his senior season at B.C.

Pray today, then, that the football chapter of Herzlich's story isn't closed after the sure-fire All-American disclosed that he's been diagnosed with cancer:

Boston College senior linebacker Mark Herzlich disclosed today that he has been diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a malignant tumor most often found in bone or soft tissue.

The following is a statement from Herzlich:

"This past week, I got some news nobody wants to hear. After undergoing some tests to determine the cause of some pain I had been experiencing in my leg, I learned that I have Ewing's Sarcoma.

"Obviously, I was shocked. I had been extremely focused on preparing for my senior season at Boston College and for life beyond that. Now, I must channel all that energy into facing my toughest opponent yet, and that is exactly what I will do.
[...]
"At this point, I do not know what this means for my football future, but I am determined to rid my body of this disease so that I can put that uniform back on. Thank you in advance for your prayers and concern. Together, we will fight this and win."
I'm not that kind of doctor, but I assume "cancer" and "bone" in the same sentence is always, literally, deathly serious news; for Ewing's Sarcoma, the prognosis depends on a variety of factors, but five-year survival rates if the diagnosis is made fairly early are as high as 80 percent.


There are a few, well known cancer hospitals in the north, so hopefully he will be treated by someone familiar with sarcomas, as it is a different, difficult cancer to treat.

Anyway, now that I have brought you down, I will end this post. :) I did add my most recent "bump" picture to the album if anyone is interested. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Latest update

I had another appointment with my regular OB on Wednesday. Everything looks great. I actually gained about 4 pounds, so my doctor was happy with that. We heard the heartbeat and it sounded nice and strong. We didn't get any new ultrasound pictures then, but at work that night, I was working with a nurse that used to work in Labor and Delivery, so she offered to do an ultrasound on me. Of course I said yes! So I got some pictures anyway! The baby was not moving very much, so we couldn't tell the gender, but it was nice to see the baby anyway. We got a few decent shots (remember, she's not a pro at this!) and I will have Jeff scan those in sometime soon and post them.

I have 2 new baby bump pictures if anyone is interested. Just follow the same link as before.