Deirdre's gearing up for the fall...

What news could be so exciting that Deirdre is rendered speechless? How about the news that she's going to become a big sister in October!

That's right - I'm going back for seconds on the baby front...already more than 3 months along and feeling plump as ever. We're very excited that Deirdre's going to have a baby brother or sister this fall, and she is, too!

The crazy thing is that the due date of this baby is October 20th...the EXACT same due date I had with Deirdre two years ago. If you recall, I went 12 days early with Deirdre (was going to be induced but ended up going on my own), and from what the doctors say, the plan will probably be about the same this time around. I think we'll try and avoid October 8th if we can...Deirdre might be excited about the prospect of a little bro or sis, but I don't think she'd be too thrilled about sharing her birthday with the little one.

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Here she is, staring intently at the latest sonogram picture, trying her best to make out what in the heck that black and white image is all about. I guess she was hoping her shades might help her decipher the shape of the baby.

Here's a close up of the picture she's checking out. Can you see the baby?

And just in case you're wondering...the little bump does have a name. I know we could have gone with "Bun Numero Dos" or "Bun Jr.", but we're going with "Kit Kat" this time around. And Deirdre's doing her best to say it. "Ku Ku" is about as far as we've gotten. But there's still plenty of time! When you ask her where Mommy's baby is, she lifts up her shirt to reveal her tummy. Hmmm...we still have a few kinks to work out.

And as far as my high-risk lupus pregnancy goes - everything's the same as before: the plan is to be induced early, to have sonograms every two weeks from week 16 through the end to check for congestive heart block in the baby...due to the lupus SS-A antibody I have, and to monitor the baby often (I've had three sonograms thus far, just to keep tabs on things.)

The thing that IS different and that I'm very excited about is that I've decided to forgo the daily lovenox shots this time. My blood tests confirm that I do not currently have the Lupus Anticoagulant antibodies (I did for the first few years after my lupus diagnosis, but I've tested negative for at least two years now), so the doctors gave us the choice of whether or not to do the shots.

Their recommendation? Skip 'em. Our decision? Skip 'em!

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Last time, the docs were much more on the fence, and we just wanted to be as cautious as possible. However, since my blood tests have consistently shown that I do not have the antibodies that require a blood thinner like lovenox, we're going to move forward without them. I save my legs, the hassle, the money (because we were paying for the $1000/month shots ourselves), and I feel great about my decision.

Here's hoping all goes as swimmingly this time as it did with Deirdre!

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Stay tuned for more to come...you know these next 6 months will be riddled with tales from the pregnant one!