Good News

We went to our high risk doctor on Friday and had an ultrasound. They said everything looked great. The main things they were looking for were neck thickness (needed to be below 2.5), a nasal bone (in DS babies, these are not visible at 12 weeks), and a good measurement from head to rump. The neck thickness of our baby measured in at 1.2, they found a nasal bone very easily, and he/she measured perfectly from head to rump! They took blood to do testing as well. We got the results back yesterday and they were AWESOME! Because of Noah's down syndrome, we had a 1 in 136 chance of having another baby with DS. After the testing, we now have a 1 in 2700 chance of DS and a 1 in 10,000 chance of 2 deadly genetic disorders. Obviously, we are thrilled with this news. It definitely helps us sleep better at night. :) We go back for a follow up ultrasound on November 12th. They will be able to tell us the gender which is especially exciting since we will only be 16 weeks pregnant and they usually don't do that until 20 weeks. As long as that appointment goes well, we will not have to go back to that office again.

I (Melissa) just returned from Maryland and had a wonderful visit with my mom and other family. We did some shopping (of course!) and unpacked a few more of my mom's boxes. She is well on her way to making a beautiful new home for herself. I especially love the paint colors (that one's for you Aunt B!). This afternoon, we are heading to South Dakota to meet our new nephew, Tate. We are excited to meet Tate and see our family there.

Once again, we are thankful for all of your prayers as we go through this journey. Hopefully, we will be much less drama in 2011! :)

New nephew Tate Noah Johnson

Here We Go Again

Tomorrow we will be 11 weeks pregnant... wait didn't we just do this?!??! That is how I (Melissa) am feeling about being sick again. :) While I have been sick (and pregnant) most of 2010, I am so thankful for the blessing of pregnancy. I find myself anticipating the arrival of this baby more everyday and that helps me get through the tough days. We have SIX doctor's appointments over the next 2 months that we are anxiously awaiting. We will see Dr. Stettler (high risk doctor) 3 times as well as Dr. Voss (regular OB) 3 times. Next Friday, we will have the first trimester screens done and then in November, we will get a 16 week ultrasound. Hopefully, after those 2 appointments, we can have some peace of mind that everything is going to be ok. Its so hard to believe that after what we have experienced but we are trusting God that He will give us a perfect, healthy baby.

In other news, we welcomed our new nephew, Tate Noah Johnson, into the world yesterday. I have only seen 2 pictures but he is SOOO CUTE! He definitely looks like a Johnson. :) We are honored that Tyson's brother Cory named his son after our son.

Next week is my fall break so I am headed to Maryland to see my family. The day after I get back, we are headed to Aberdeen, SD to meet Tate and visit with our Johnson family. Can't wait! We are praying I feel well enough for both trips. We'll see!