We are expecting a baby brother for Max!

By now, most of our friends and family have probably heard that we are expecting baby number two in January. We are completely thrilled and are also very excited to find out that Max is going to have a baby brother!

Some of you may also know that Max is actually the one that told us we were pregnant. On Mother's Day, I told Max I had a surprise for him and asked him if he would like it. I think it was a cupcake, or something like that. He looked at me and said, "A baby sister?" Now this was shocking to us because we did not know we were pregnant nor had we talked about it with Max. It was a completely random comment and I didn't know what to think of it, but I was hoping he was right! About a week and a half later, we found out that Max was right and we were expecting a baby. He was very curious about the baby and asked me daily for a long time if I had a baby in my belly. When I said yes, I then asked him if he wanted a baby brother or a baby sister. Every single time he said he wanted a baby sister. 

Then it came time to find out if we were having a boy or a girl. Since Max insisted that he was having a baby sister and I felt completely different with this pregnancy versus the first, I was pretty sure we were having a girl. I was wrong. We are definitely having a boy and we couldn't be more thrilled that Max will soon have a baby brother!

Meet Baby Muesch #2

(We haven't decided on his name yet)

Having one of our weekly echocardiograms at Vandy to check the baby's heart

Because we have previously had a child with heart block, our chances with this pregnancy of the baby having heart block increase from 2% to 20%. We obviously don't like those odds, so I've enrolled in a study that has created a protocol for patients in my situation. I take the drug, Plaquenil, daily to try to help keep my SSA antibodies from my Sjogren's Syndrome from passing to the baby and damaging his heart, like they did with Max. I also have weekly echocardiograms at Vandy from 16 weeks until 26 weeks, and every other week thereafter until delivery. I also have several blood draws done and sent to the research lab in New York where the study is being conducted. The researcher, Dr. Jill Buyon, feels very confident that this protocol can potentially help patients like me and hopefully help prevent heart block in babies. Vandy is also very supportive of the study and works closely with Dr. Buyon even though she is in NY. The study is in its third year and the results look very promising for patients with Sjogren's Syndrome and/or Lupus. We think, eventually, this will be a standard protocol for patients with my history. 

All that being said, we are now 27 weeks pregnant and the baby looks great! Everything is developing normally and the baby's heart looks perfect! We really appreciate all the prayers from friends and family and ask that you continue to do so in the coming months. We are so thankful to have met this doctor conducting the study. We are also incredibly thankful to live in a city that has such wonderful access to specialized healthcare. 

I've really enjoyed this pregnancy, so far, just as I did with Max. I cherish feeling those kicks everyday and can't wait to meet our little guy in January. We think we've decided on a name, but I'm just waiting a little longer to confirm it just to make sure it feels right. We've had a really hard time coming up with this baby's name. Max is also super excited about the baby. He asks about him all the time and we are very excited for him to have a little brother. I can only imagine a few years from now when they are best buddies and that melts my heart!