Updates

Sam Update: 
Sam is out of surgery. He isn't home yet, but I spoke with him and he is feeling fine. He is a little sore from the bone marrow biopsy, but not too bad. They gave him a script for some painkillers, which he will be picking up on his way home! His port isn't in his chest this time, it is in his shoulder. I can't quite picture it! We will find out about the results of his bone marrow biopsy soon. Tomorrow, we will head back up to the University of Chicago to meet with his oncologist to discuss his treatment plan.
Baby Update: 

3-D pic!

 Profile pic!

Overall, the ultrasound went well today. The baby's kidneys are still dilated; they are actually slightly more dilated than before. The doctor took a long time looking at the baby's kidney function, bladder, and amniotic fluid level and determined that all are functioning fine. This means that the dilation is probably being caused by a blockage somewhere between the kidneys and the ureter. At this point, it probably won't clear up on it's own, and may require a minor surgery to fix after her birth. But overall, seeing that her kidneys and bladder were fine ruled out any truly serious issues, so we are comforted by that news. The cardiologist also said that her heart looked perfectly normal. The bright spots are still there, but they are not anything that seemed to concern him. He actually said that it is quite common (about 6% of pregnancies show bright spots) and didn't see a reason to have to check up on it again. So that was quite a relief.
They did find that the placenta looks low, and is possibly covering some of the cervical opening. If it doesn't move up on it's own, then we will be looking at a planned C-section. I was a little bummed about that news, but with our situation, having a planned date of delivery might actually be the best thing for our family!
The baby is measuring at 1 pound 11 ounces. She was kicking and moving around like crazy during the ultrasound. It was wonderful seeing her, and amazing that she is as active as her big sister was!

I just wanted to say thanks again to everyone for your thoughts, prayers, well-wishes, and offerings of help. We truly appreciate it, and are grateful to have such wonderful people in our lives. As we've witnessed before, these trying times really do show us the true nature of our friends and family. We are very blessed.