So 2009 - an interesting year, in the way they are all interesting. Some of the more memorable moments from the first part of the year were blogged about earlier - my return to work after mat leave with Avery, her start at daycare #1 and subsequent move to daycare #2, our trip to Mexico in March (pre-H1N1 outbreak)...since then, what has happened?
Uncle Dan and Auntie A came to visit in May - not sure if I mentioned that before. It was very nice for Avery to be able to visit with them because she really doesn't get to see them very often. Despite an impromptu and for no apparent reason fever that happened while they were visiting, Avery managed to take them on a trip to the Market for lunch, along with Grossmueti. We are all looking forward to Feb, whenthey will be visiting again!As will likely be a recurring feature of my government career, I went on a French training stint in July and August. My levels expired while I was on mat leave the last time, so when I went back to work I knew training was on the horizon. I have to say, overall it was a fairly pleasant experience. Work was pretty slow over the summer, so it was good timing in that sense. And I was in a group of 4 people, all of whom were very nice and agreeable. Not that the gang I was with the first time around weren't all great people, it is just that it was such a big group and we were together for a year. That was never going to go smoothly everyday! Anyway, I was pretty successful - received an exemption in the reading comprehension test, and a C on my oral exam. So I never have to do either of the written tests again, but will have to do the oral exam again in about 5 years. Plenty of time to speak French, right? HA!
Undoubtedly our biggest news for 2009 was that we were pregnant again and will be having another baby girl imminently - due on January 19th. The pregnancy has gone fairly well, I felt a lot more icky during the first trimester than I did with Avery, but still no actually throwing up or anything like that. We did run into some concerns at around 20 weeks though - I had the normal 20 week ultrasound and it showed a choroid plexus (brain) cyst and intracardiac echogenic foci, basically bright spots in the heart. Both of these are "soft markers" for Down's Syndrome, and a couple of other chromosomal disorders. If the baby had only had one or the other, there wouldn't have been much concern. However, with two of them, and due to the fact that I was already at about 22 weeks by the time this was all discussed, we were booked for a level 2 ultrasound and genetic counselling at CHEO. Needless to say, our concerns were alleviated through the next ultrasound and through talking with the counsellors at CHEO - the brain cyst had disappeared, and the statistics were quite indicative of no expected issues (I had also had the integrated prenatal screening procedures and that put the odds of the baby having Down's at about 1 in 6000). No further testing was recommended, and we had already decided we weren't going to get an aminocentesis done anyway, regardless of what the ultrasound showed (unless something far more serious than Down's was indicated). All that to say, we essentially stopped worrying at that point. Of course, there is still a chance that the baby could have some issues, but really no more than for anyone. So we wait and see, and hope for the best. Shouldn't be too long now... :)
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