Brady Flynn

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Brady Flynn Parmer

born Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at 1:53 am

8 lbs 1 oz

21 inches

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Click here to read the birth story and see the birth pictures.
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38 weeks 6 days

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Boy or Girl Poll Results!

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The results of the poll are:

22 think we are having a boy

18 think we are having a girl

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16 days...

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Have you noticed that little baby ticker I have on the left sidebar of the blog??? Seriously - it says 16 days until my due date!! 16 days and we will likely be holding our new little one...This pregnancy seems to have FLOWN by!
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I am at the doctor every week now! In case you missed my latest installment in my pregnancy journal - click here for the latest.
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The Picture

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Jenny over at Life with 4 kiddos was able to lighten up the picture of Bella and I. It still isn't great quality - but you can at least see what a great picture it is (had they only had their flash on)!!!

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Thanks, Jenny!!

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Photo Shoot - Part 3

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Here are the pregnancy pictures we were able to get. Once the girls appear to be losing their patience and hitting their limit of cooperation - we just say enough..It isn't worth having two screaming children in our opinions!

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Both girls kissing the baby!
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They were trying to get both girls to lay their heads on my belly - but Brooklyn apparently didn't think that would work - so she just kissed my belly! Bella did almost whatever they asked her to do pose wise!

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Brannon and Beth - 36 weeks pregnant with #3
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Brannon and Beth - 36 weeks pregnant with #3

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This is a picture of just Bella and I that they happened to snap - but they didn't have the flash set correctly...I actually didn't even realize this was a picture of anything. If you look VERY VERY close - you'll see Bella laying her head on my belly...I LOVE this picture - if you think you can "fix" this picture so it is usable - please leave me a comment with your email address and I'll email you the picture!! I'd appreciate any help!
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1 month to go!

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Can you believe that it is only 30 more days until my estimated due date!?!? And if we go by Brannon's prediction - then I am down to 27 days!!!!
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Countdown to Baby!

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With 9 weeks to go (yes we are in the single digits for weeks to go - wow!) - I thought I'd post a picture of our "Countdown to Baby" Calendar! The girls are super excited about the new baby - one day they want a baby boy and the next day they want a baby girl! Who knows!
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Brannon told me that I put the "heart" on the wrong day because the baby would be here on the 9th, not the 12th - but I put my "due date"!

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Boy or Girl??

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I've added a poll to the left side of the page -With Baby #3's arrival getting closer and closer, I always get more and more curious about whether the baby will be a boy or girl and it is fun to hear what other people think!! Leave comments as to what you think we might be having!

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Here are some of the theories as to whether we're having a boy or a girl:
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Bella and Brooklyn: When I ask Bella and Brooklyn if they want a baby boy or baby girl - lately, they have both been very consistent with "baby boy"!
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Brannon: Brannon has an excellent track record when it comes to predicting the gender of our children - he is currently 2 for 2!!! And he finally gave me his predictions for this baby on Sunday night. Here were Brannon's predictions for the girls:

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* Bella: he said she would be born 4 days after my due date (8/11/05), she would be a girl and she would arrive in the middle of the afternoon. Here's how it worked out: she was born 4 days before my due date (8/3/05), she was (and still is) a girl, and she was born at 3:06 pm (how much more middle of the day can you get?).

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* Brooklyn: he said she would be born after my due date - although he was never certain on the exact date (although hoping for the 9th because it's an easy date for him to remember since his birthday is 12/9), she would be a girl and she would arrive in the middle of the night. Here's how it worked out: she was born 2 days past my due date on 11/9/06, she was (and still is) a girl, and she was born at 3:56 am (or 3:54 - there will always be some discussion on this given her arrival at home and we really weren't concerned with what time it was).

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Brannon's predictions for Baby #3: Baby #3 will arrive on Tuesday, December 9th (I'm not sure how much reliance to put on this given that 12/9 is also HIS birthday and I think he is hoping to abolish his birthday by having the baby on this day...), Baby #3 will be a BOY and Baby #3 will arrive between 12 noon and 5 pm - although he says it will be closer to noon.

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Ultrasound: Well- we told the technician we did not want to know, so she did not even venture into that area!
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My Intuition: I don't really have a feeling either way - I was wrong with both Bella and Brooklyn.
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My physical appearance: Most people say it is all baby and that they think I am carrying low and that my belly is shaped like a watermelon more than a basketball.

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For your comparison - I've attached some pics of me pregnant with Bella, Brooklyn and Baby #3!

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Pregnant with Bella - June 2005

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Pregnant with Brooklyn - late September, early October 2006

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Pregnant with Baby #3 - late September 2008
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Baby's Heart Rate: The baby's heartbeat has consistently been in the 140's - generally, above 140 is more indicative of a girl and below 140 is indicative of a boy...But this past week at my check-up, the doctor said "this little one isn't giving us any indication, huh?"

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Website Gender Prediction: A "fun" website asking me questions like whether I like orange juice these days or which direction my head is when I sleep, says I have 45% chance of a boy, and a 54% chance of a girl. (Does this mean there is a 1% chance I'm having an alien baby?!?!?){Thanks to my friend, Lesley, for the website for this}

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Ancient Chinese Gender Predictions: I checked 4 websites - 3 said it's a girl, 1 said it's a boy. I checked these same websites to see how they stacked up for Bella and Brooklyn: Bella - 3 said girl, 1 said boy -- so that makes it 75% correct; Brooklyn - 4 said boy - so that makes it 0% correct. So..not sure how much we can really rely on this prediction method!

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For other updates on Pregnancy #3, click here.

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Pregnancy Update - 20 week ultrasound

I had another prenatal appointment on Friday, August 1st. I was 21 weeks, so it was time for the ultrasound that they do at 20 weeks! We all went, including my mom, and Bella was so excited to "see the new baby on the puter screen!"!!

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Everything went well and the baby looks good and is growing well - up to a pound now! We did not find out whether the baby was a boy or girl. However, I will tell you the ultrasound technician said I was carrying the baby "high" and I did the Chinese Lunar Calendar and it says Girl!!! So we will see when he/she makes his/her appearance later this year! Here are the pics.

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Remember to check the "Pregnancy Updates" tab for more frequent updated on Pregnancy #3!!

Pregnancy Update - 12 weeks and 5 days

I went for my second OB visit yesterday. Everything went well. We opted out of doing the ultrasound - but the doctor was able to find the heartbeat and it was beating strong! They did all the initial bloodwork with a bit extra to determine if I am a carrier of the Beta Thalassemia trait. If I am, then we will likely have to get Brannon's bloodwork tested to see if he is as well.

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The developmental milestones this week are:

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Vocal cords start to form! They don't make sound yet, but they will!

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The baby is 3 inches CRL and weighs one ounce. The tiny fingerprints and all 20 teeth are formed.

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Brief information about Thalassemia:

• Thalassemia is a group of inherited blood disorders that can cause mild to severe anemia.
• Thalassemia involves problems with the production of hemoglobin in red blood cells. As a result, a person with thalassemia doesn't have enough hemoglobin or red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body (anemia).
• There are two main types of thalassemia: alpha and beta thalassemia. Alpha thalassemia occurs when there is a problem with the alpha globin chain that is part of hemoglobin. Beta thalassemia occurs when there is a problem with the beta globin chain.
• There are mild, moderate, and severe forms of thalassemia. Severe beta thalassemia is often called Cooley's anemia.
• The most common severe form of thalassemia seen in the U.S. is beta thalassemia major, or Cooley's anemia, and mainly affects people from Mediterranean countries and Asia.
• Some people are "silent carriers" with no symptoms. Other carriers have mild anemia but usually need no treatment. Carriers can pass thalassemia genes on to their children.

This is only an issue because we have discovered that Bella carries the Beta Thalassemia trait (we discovered this because her iron counts were low and even with iron supplements - it did not increase - at 12 months, they did a vein draw and did a complete blood "workup" and it was discovered that her results were in line with the Beta Thalassemia trait). We don't know who passed this trait onto her as we are not aware of any Mediterranean or Asian decents in our family. It is not something we are worried about but the issue can arise if Brannon and I are both carriers of the trait and that if we both pass the trait on - the baby could have the disorder. We'll see what the bloodwork shows and go from there.

Here is some more information on Thalassemia:

People whose hemoglobin does not produce enough beta protein have beta thalassemia. It is found in people of Mediterranean descent, such as Italians and Greeks, and is also found in the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Africa, Southeast Asia and southern China.

There are three types of beta thalassemia that also range from mild to severe in their effect on the body.

Thalassemia Minor or Thalassemia Trait. In this condition, the lack of beta protein is not great enough to cause problems in the normal functioning of the hemoglobin. A person with this condition simply carries the genetic trait for thalassemia and will usually experience no health problems other than a possible mild anemia. As in mild alpha thalassemia, physicians often mistake the small red blood cells of the person with beta thalassemia minor as a sign of iron-deficiency anemia and incorrectly prescribe iron supplements.

Thalassemia Intermedia. In this condition the lack of beta protein in the hemoglobin is great enough to cause a moderately severe anemia and significant health problems, including bone deformities and enlargement of the spleen. However, there is a wide range in the clinical severity of this condition, and the borderline between thalassemia intermedia and the most severe form, thalassemia major, can be confusing. The deciding factor seems to be the amount of blood transfusions required by the patient. The more dependent the patient is on blood transfusions, the more likely he or she is to be classified as thalassemia major. Generally speaking, patients with thalassemia intermedia need blood transfusions to improve their quality of life, but not in order to survive.

Thalassemia Major or Cooley's Anemia. This is the most severe form of beta thalassemia in which the complete lack of beta protein in the hemoglobin causes a life-threatening anemia that requires regular blood transfusions and extensive ongoing medical care. These extensive, lifelong blood transfusions lead to iron-overload which must be treated with chelation therapy to prevent early death from organ failure.

Other Forms of Thalassemia. In addition to the alpha and beta thalassemias, there are other related disorders that occur when the gene for alpha or beta thalassemia combines with an abnormal or mutant gene. E Beta Thalassemia. Hemoglobin E is one of the most common abnormal hemoglobins. It is usually found in people of Southeast Asian ancestry, such as Cambodians, Vietnamese and Thai. When combined with beta thalassemia, hemoglobin E produces E beta thalassemia, a moderately severe anemia which is similar in symptoms to beta thalassemia intermedia.Sickle Beta Thalassemia. This condition is caused by a combination of beta thalassemia and hemoglobin S, the abnormal hemoglobin found in people with sickle cell disease. It is commonly found in people of Mediterranean ancestry, such as Italians, Greeks and Turks. The condition varies according to the amount of normal beta globin produced by the beta gene. When no beta globin is produced by the beta gene, the condition is almost identical with sickle cell disease. The more beta globin produced by the beta gene, the less severe the condition.

Funny Pregnancy Update

So, as of today I am 11 weeks and 5 days along! I have a pregnancy ticker on the right sidebar of the blog and this is what it read today:

So reassuring to know my baby no longer has a tail!! haha

One and One and One is Three...

We're adding another to our family!

The new baby is due December 12, 2008!

This would mean I am about 8 weeks along! I went to the doctor at around 6 weeks and everything was fine - it was too early to hear the heartbeat and we opted out of the ultrasound. I go back to the doctor in early June at which time we should be able to hear the little one's heartbeat! I seem to be a bit more nauseas with this pregnancy so far - but that will subside in a few weeks (hopefully)!

Growing and Growing - 7 weeks to go