Tuesday, January 15, 2008

The Pecker-Checker Test Results are in!!!


The moment we've all been waiting for has finally arrived...Peanut is indeed Honey Roasted! Oh wait we knew that already. I mean Peanut is a girl!! Can you believe it?? Some of you were right on the nose with your predictions. One more female to add to Jay's repertoire, but this little lady will definitely be an entirely new adventure. What I understand so far from Jay is that she will not be leaving the house until she is 21. No doubt all his friends will agree and take turns guarding the door from the outside. I am sort of excited to learn more of these Jay-isms regarding raising our little girl...they are intreging.

So needless to say we are both extatic, smittin', and wondering what the heck are we going to do with a little girl...come on I know you all are thinking it too. haha. Well we all know Peanut will be wearing a baseball cap and cowboy boots before she is 1, like any Texas girl should (my prediction anyway). Jay is already protesting against pink, just an FYI for all of you who have visions of pink everything in your mind. Let's be honest, we all know Jay, and knew that was coming. No matter pink, green, or yellow we will figure it all out with a little help from all of you who have raised their little girls (like myself) most successfully.

Before we received this enormous news, Jay and I did have a few scares over the last month or so...and I personally think "scares" is an understatement. In December, my high-risk specialist found an abnormality on an ultrasound that led him to believe Peanut might have a chromosomal abnormality. He ordered the mulitpile serum screening test (bloodwork) for late December and from that bloodwork came some more abnormal calculations that suggested Peanut was positive for Trisomy 18 Syndrome. This is an extremely scary and pretty much fatal diagnosis. They kept our hopes up with the fact that its common for false-positives to be calculated from the screening. So the next step was an amneocentesis on Jan. 9th. The procedure sounded scarier than it turned out to be (needle going down into the belly and getting a sample of the amniotic fluid surrounding Peanut), but it was the only definitive test available. So we definitely said YES in bold letters and even threw in some of our own money to get the results in 2-3 days instead of the normal 2 weeks. Definitely the best $400 we ever spent. After the longest 5 days in our lives, because the 2-3 days included a weekend, the doctor called back yesterday and confirmed that the test was negative for Trisomy 18 (Peanut doesn't have the syndrome). The results are 98% accurate and the definitive results arrive in 2 weeks. phfeww!!!

After about 30 minutes of losing it, regaining my togetherness, and losing it all over again...it all finally began to sink in...We are having a BABY GIRL! In only 5 months! Oh my GOSH! So of course the first thing my sister and I thought was to celebrate in the best way possible, SHOPPING! We went straight to Target, got a starbucks and b-lined it straight for the baby section.

Thank you so much for all your prayers. Peanut is our little miracle and we are so grateful to be able to share her with all of you. We cherish this huge circle of friends and family that expands from Texas, Georgia, Virginia, all the way over to Europe, and I guess right now to Afghanistan. We will make sure Peanut knows of the faith, love, and support that brought her here to us.

11 comments:

Rhonda said...

OMG! Congratulations! I'm SO excited about the baby girl news! How wonderful! LOVE YOU! Now the fun part begins - what to name her???

Flip Flops On 5th said...

I'm glad to know that mother and baby are doing well. Good luck picking out a name for Peanut :-)

Anonymous said...

A BABY GIRL!!! Wow how cute is she gonna look in New York Yankees dresses! hehe! So exciting!!! I can't wait to hear more and more as the date gets closer! I am so happy everything came back okay and I will continue to keep YOU, JAY, AND LIL MISS PEANUT in my prayers! I miss and love you so much! Take care!

Anonymous said...

It's a girl! OMG This family is either cursed or blessed...I'd say the latter. We are so excited for you both. She's healthy on top of that! WOW!! Uncle Mike is going crazy ( "another girl?") and Jess and Jenna can't believe it. Take care...Can't wait to get you all back home in Texas. Oh, and good luck with the names...Keep us posted!!

KaseyBriz said...

i'm so happy to hear that everything is okay with ms. peanut. hang in there lar. you've been doing a remarkable job of keeping it together with all of these huge changes!

p.s. thanks for the virginia shout out! hehe

Anonymous said...

I just could not be happier for you. She looks precious in the sono pic. I am so thankful that everything is ok with our little peanut. Sofia needs a playmate!

Anonymous said...

Fantastic! I guess Paul, Scott, and I will take first watch over the unborn male children who may already be checking in on peanut. Make sure to call when you are in DFW. Grover

Anonymous said...

Lauren and Jay,

We are so excited to hear. Another girl. Way to go! You do realize peanuts feet will never touch the ground.

We love you all!

Betty (Mom) said...

This is the most wonderful news a grandmother can get - a sweet healthy baby. Lauren you are a trooper and I love you for all you have endured these last couple of months - thank you sweetheart. I think Jay will have to learn to accept a little bit of pink (they do have yankee tee shirts in pink). Can't wait to see and snuggle up with our baby girl.

Anonymous said...

As I said yesterday "WOO HOO!" I'm so happy that things are working in your favor now! Nothing like a complete emotional roller coaster ride to show how much to appreciate something like little peanut huh? Well you are definitly still in my prayers, we will both have successful deliveries and amazing stories to exchange this summer! I guess the biggest thing is not to duplicate names lol. Can't wait to see you Sunday!

Aim Claim said...

Oh my gosh... Peanut is a GIRL! I'm so excited for you both.

I am blown away by your amazing strength through such ups and downs lately. Your blog reminds me of one of my very favorite verses...

"That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:10

I love you both... congrats and God Bless! -Aimee