The Seidel Family Adventures: {So Much to be Thankful For}

Well, it certainly has been a crazy couple of weeks for the Seidel Family, full of a few ups and downs. I thought we would share what has been going on. On Halloween, we were so excited to find out that we were expecting baby #2! We hadn't exactly been trying for number 2 so quickly after Anna, but we were ecstatic to find out we had another one on the way. We have experienced for ourselves and have had close family and friends experience the loss of a baby and pregnancy, so we know just how fortunate and lucky we were and every pregnancy is a blessing, no matter the circumstances. We anxiously waited for our 8 week appointment, which is when my OB does the first prenatal checkup and ultrasound. Unfortunately, our ultrasound did not go as well as we had hoped. I can vividly remember seeing Anna's heartbeat at her 8 week appointment so when the ultrasound tech showed us the screen and all we saw was an empty sac and no heartbeat we were devastated. Dr. P said that we could just be a week early and it could be too early to see something. As most people know, I am the ultimate planner, so I was doubtful, yet hopeful my days could be off. They checked my hormone levels and sent us home to wait. My HCG levels were around 21,000, which is good, however, I suspected that if they were that high, shouldn't there be a heartbeat by now? I went back Wednesday to get them checked again, and sadly they dropped to 16,000. We went back Friday to have another ultrasound just to see what was there. This time a sac, fetal pole, but no heartbeat. Dr. P confirmed the miscarriage and I had a D&C procedure done Monday. It has been a really rough couple of days/weeks for us, but I am happy to report that we really are doing well. My procedure went well. I was so nervous, as I have never been under for anything, but it was relatively simple and I was home and in bed by 2 in the afternoon. Our spirits are high, we are so incredibly lucky to have each other and sweet Anna in our lives, we couldn't be more thankful. While we were thrilled to learn we were going to be expanding our family, we know it just wasn't our time and we look forward to what the future will bring us! We certainly are squeezing Anna a little tighter these days!

I want to give some love to Bob - he has provided such amazing support throughout all of this. I will never forget the look on his face when he came home from work on Halloween and I told him we were pregnant. He grabbed Anna, threw her up in the air, and absolutely beamed from ear to ear. It has been a hectic couple of days and I wouldn't have gotten through it without him or without his support, both physically and mentally. Thanks sweetie!!!

I thought I would finish this post with a few cute pictures of Anna from Thanksgiving - we had a wonderful and quiet holiday at my parents. Enjoyed a visit from Bob's parents in the evening and my mom and Elizabeth and I joined all the crazies out there shopping from 9:00 PM - 2:00 AM - we had an absolute blast - I look forward to doing it again in future years.

Lots of Love from the Seidel Family - we hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!