Laney - 7 Months

Where does the time go?  Really, I feel like I just wrote her 6 Month update.

Length: I'll have to come back and update this
Weight: 17.0lbs

We just had another doctor visit a few days ago after another night of no sleep with her up screaming in pain.  But this time I've switched doctors.  We discussed her reflux and my concerns of her meds not working.  We also discussed her weight gain and her "spitting up".

Laney is not at the max dosage for the Zantac yet so she wants to increase and re-evaluate in a month.  She knows I'm not fond of the idea of just increasing, but the she said that it could work for 2 weeks and then not.  If that's the case we will look at something else.  Since she has gained about half a pound since her last increase I agreed knowing that she will at least discuss other options if I want in a month (or less if I see no improvement).  As for her weight, she said doctors don't get too concerned until they go down 2 % groups between well child visits (3mth, 6mth, 9mth).  She She only went down 1 between 3 and 6 months, but it was very close to 2 and she's almost down another one at only 7 months.  She plans to keep an eye on this, but said to keep offering the solids and start with maybe some yogurt and cheeses to see if it helps with the reflux.  She also said to continue the Miralax as it seems to be working.

Diapers: Still in size 3, but we've switched to the Walmart brand.  They seem to be working good.
Clothes: Mostly 6-9 Months, but all the cute footless one piece outfits are too short :(
Toys: Anything she can get her hands on.  Especially the foam puzzle pieces her sister leaves on the floor.
Food: sweet potatoes, green beans, plums, pears, squash, peaches, peas and apple sauce
Sleep: What's that.  Actually when she's feeling good she only wakes up some nights to eat and then drifts right back off to sleep.  This week I think I've gotten at most 4 hours a sleep a night since Sunday.

She is starting to get on all 4s and thinking about moving forward.  Right now she has backwards and around in a circle mastered.  Just last night she went FORWARD in her walker for the first time!  This is something Lillian never did!

Laney - 6 Months

It seems un-real to be half way through her first year!

 Newborn     6 Months

 

It seems weird that she actually had a well child visit:

Length: 27.25” (95%)

Weight: 16lb 5oz ( 59% This is actually and ounce less than last month)

*Dr. Do Nothing did comment that her weight gain has slowed and will slow even more as she starts to crawl and get around more.  She isn't concerned.  I on the other hand am a little, her weight gain didn't slow, it stopped last month.  Although she was comparing it to her 4 month weight of 15lb 3oz.

Diapers: Size 3, the huggies fit best now, but once she moves up in the weight limit we’ll have to switch back to pampers for the larger leg holes.

Clothes: Mostly 6 Month stuff.  Still fits some 3 month and already some 9 month.

Toys: We’ve gotten out the “bigger” toys.  She’s still loving the exersaucer and now the Jumperoo too.  She’s also very interested in her moving ball and the gumball machine toy.

Food: She is very interested in food.  We started her last month and now she eats sweet potatoes, green beans, plums and pears.  We only use cereal once in a while to thicken up a fruit that is overly runny.  She also had her first Melba toast that she did quite well with.

Sleep: Still waking up at least once a night to eat, some times twice.  And on a rare occasion Mommy gets a full night’s sleep.

She sits like a pro now and reaches for EVERYTHING, toys, food, your shirt, the back of the chair, anything she can get her hands on.

She is definitely interested in figuring out how to get around.  With her ball that rolls around on the floor with the lights you can see her mind working to figure out how to get to it.

Sure I play with this paper until Dr comes in!

At her well visit I informed Dr. Do nothing that I took her off the med that was supposed to make her stop spitting up and help her digest.  It wasn’t doing either and I thought it was pointless.  She agreed it was the right call.  She didn’t however say anything one way or the other about me giving her Miralax.  She, again, gave me a run down of the foods that would make her constipated and what wouldn’t.  See list above for all foods that promote healthy bowel movements.  It makes me sad to think that there are parents out there that need those things told to them several times, I just don’t happen to be one of them, thank you.  So until things become more get more regular I plan to keep with the Miralax.

Besides that she’s the perfect picture of health!

Until she puked all over last night :-(  And I don't just mean some spit up, I mean she covered my tank top wearing back, herself, and got some on the floor.  It took 2 receiving blankets to clean it up.  And it smelled horrible!  She was so scared and I felt so bad for her.  

She slept for a few hours and then woke up again.  She sounded like she may be sick again, but she moved around and farted *like a man* and was then happy as pie.  She ate and thought it was play time.  She lay there squealing with delight as I struggled to keep my eyes open.  She never had a fever over 100.2 and besides being clingy seems perfectly fine now.

Getting the Best of Me

My stress and emotions are getting the best of me and I can feel it quickly spiraling out of control.  

Little Miss still isn’t feeling well.  The last time I posted about her poop, was the last time she had a real one.  That was 6 days ago now!  Over the last 2 days she had pushed out 3 little marble sized pieces and that’s it.

I took her back to the doctor yesterday (even though her well child is next week) and the pedi made me feel like I was an over-reacting mom.  

Her suggestions:

Since apple juice isn’t working, give her prune

Giver her more water (I already started over the weekend)

Instead of plums giver her green beans

Give her 1mL of Erythro instead of .8mL

It is my feeling that since I have been in there at least once a month for the last 3 months because of her belly issues, you should be doing more than just suggesting I change her diet.  I’m actually starting to wonder if it’s the Erythro that made her constipated in the first place.  I know that a side effect is loose bowels, but just like apple juice binds some people up, maybe this med does too.

Also on the suggestion of some friends and lots of searching on the internet, I bought some Mirilax last night.  I haven’t given it to her, but if something doesn’t happen by tomorrow night you can bet your ass I will be.

Thankfully she slept peacefully last night, although I think it’s just because she is so exhausted for not getting any sleep.

On a positive note, both the girls had some firsts this weekend.

Little miss Laney sat in the grass for the first time this weekend, she didn’t mind it at all.

She also used a sippy cup for the first time!

And Lilli was in her first fishing derby, she didn't catch anything though :-(

 And Lillian got to ride her bike all weekend!  He she is taking a break while letting her Great Aunt’s dog out…

L&D: Act II Scene 2 (The Final Act?)

After writing my last post my back ached all day and continued to have bloody show.  When I got home B begged me to sit down and relax, but there was no way I could do that knowing that being on my feet might help things get started.  I did some laundry and cooked dinner.  Around 7 I started having contractions about 15 minutes apart.  Nothing overly painful, so I waited a bit and kept timing them.  After a while they hadn't gotten stronger or closer together and my water hadn't broken so I decided I should get some sleep if I could.  It took quite a while to fall asleep with my hopes so high and labor possibly starting, but I managed.

Around 1am my first contraction woke me up.  Then I was woken up every 12 minutes until I just stayed away at 2am.  At 3am I finally decided to get out of bed and walk around and get things going.  Well it blew up in my face!  My contractions spread out, got random and eventually were more than a half hour apart.  I went back to bed around 5.  I think I may have even cried at this point.  The next morning I got up with Lillian and B, but I was depressed.  After a while I went back to my bed and cried some.  I really wanted to take a nap, but Lillian wanted my attention so we watched some TV, read some books and just cuddled.  Then her grandma called an offered to take her for the night.  I agreed because the plan was that if I went into labor she was going there anyway.  Of course the second I agreed I wished I hadn't, I knew it was only going to be a few days before baby was here and I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could.  But after thinking it over, it was more fair for Lillian to go have fun than be home worried about me and my crying.  So around 11 I think it was Lillian left happily with her grandparents and I promptly drew myself a nice warm bath and got in.  I stayed in the tub for quite some time.  B came in and talked me a few times and I was having some random but really strong contractions, like the ones that you can't move through.

After talking to him and my mother I decided that while he was playing cards with my mom at the bar I would hang out at her house just so I was closer to them in case it was time.  We left for my mom's early, around 2 even though cards wasn't until 5:30, we figured we'd hang out a bit and I'd have so new areas to walk around.  While talking with my mom she suggested I just go to cards with them.  B had already suggested and my aunt who also plays cards had suggested it to my mom too.  I agreed rather than sitting at her house alone.  I walked  around her house and around 4 I started timing my contractions yet again.  I was afraid to because every time I did they would spread out again.  This time though, they didn't.  By 4:30 the only time they went more than 5 minutes was if I went from standing to sitting or sitting to standing.  And when I made that change I would have a VERY painful contraction.  Around 5 we headed to the bar where they play cards.  Contractions spread to about 10 minutes, but as soon as we got there they went back to 5 minutes.  People were joking that I was going to have the baby right there.  About 5:30 and the time cards started I was having trouble walking through the contractions.  Over the next half hour I tried changing positions a few times, but it did really effect the contractions much besides make me have one!  At 6 I called the midwife, of course I got the answering service.  Within a few minutes she called me back though.  After just a minute she could tell the contractions were strong and told me to head to L&D.

I have to say I have no idea how women in labor can stand more than a 10 minute drive to the hospital when in labor.  I was so glad I wasn't at my house!  They got me checked in and up to L&D pretty quickly.  I had to pee so bad and was thankful they didn't make me wait, not sure I could have.  As I went into the bathroom I had a really strong contraction and when I came out after putting my gown on and all I thought I still felt wet.  The nurse asked if I thought I was leaking any fluid and I happily announced "I think my water just broke!"  Sure enough it had when they tested.  It was about 6:30 now and the nurse came in and checked me.  Apparently my cervix was still pretty high because she was having a hard time determining if I was still at a 3 or if what she thought was the other side of my cervix was the sac and I was actually more like a 7.  A second nurse (with bigger hands) came in and checked me, she said I was still a three and my heart sank.  The nurses tried twice to draw my blood and get my IV in.  Finally they decided to do them separately and got both on the 3rd try.  I was asked several times over the time they were trying how far apart my contractions were when I arrived because they quickly went from 5 to 2.  My midwife then came in and decided to check me herself, I was glad because she said I was more like a 5 or 6.  Don't know if I made that progress or the nurses were wrong, but I like that number much better.  And I was even happier when she announced "You aren't leaving without a baby!"  Some time around 7:30 or 8 I was finally able to get in the tub.  I was really hoping for some sweet relief, my hips and thighs were killing me!  The tub felt great but killed my back when contractions hit.  And of course during this time the Duke vs NC game was on and B was watching that.  I will say he did very well paying attention to me though.  I have no idea how long I was in the tub, I just know I definitely went through transition there because I kept having to tell B and my mom to not stop rubbing whatever it was they were rubbing.  I must have been in for about 45 minutes cause just as I decided I needed to get out the nurse was coming in to check baby's heart rate.  I thought I had to pee when I got out so I sat on the toilet, had 3 contractions but couldn't go.  Stood up, had a contraction, got my gown on, had a contraction, walked the 5 steps to my room, had a contraction, midwife said I want to check you, I got on the bed, had a contraction and informed her I needed to push, before the next contraction hit the bed was converted for delivery and she said I could make a small push while she got her gloves on.

In the mean time mom's phone had rang and she was in the bathroom on the phone, the midwife kept telling her it was time and she basically made it just in time to hold my leg.  I pushed for a total of 3 contractions and she was out in 5 minutes!  After her head was out my midwife told me to put my hands between my legs and I was able to grab on to her and pull her up onto my chest, where she stayed for over an hour before they did any testing, cleaning or anything.

I have to say, other than the starting and stopping of contractions, my labor was perfect.  No meds, no long hours of walking the halls this time, and being able to put her on my check myself was amazing!

Delaney Rose was born at 9:35pm, 8lb 4oz (same as Lillian) 22inces long!

Thoughts on Membrane Stripping/Sweeping

Not that there isn't already a million places on the internet to find information and opinions on membrane stripping.  I thought I'd share my experience and thoughts on it anyway.

As I mentioned in my last post it didn't really hurt besides the pressure of being checked.  Of course being dilated to 3 probably helps.  I would guess if you are only at 1 it would be more painful.

My cramping has continued off and on since having it done, almost 48 hours ago now.  I was cramping before, but probably not as frequently, its not something I was really keeping track of.

As for contractions, I haven't had any "Real" ones.  As in the ones that start in your back and work their way around your belly until the whole thing is contracted.  What I have had is some that start in my back, go around my hips and only part way up my belly.  Which is more "real" than the ones I was having before the stripping that all started in the front.

I do believe the the stripping is what caused me to lose my mucus plug.  This never happened with Lillian and I had no idea what to expect, but when it happens, its hard to miss.  The first part came and I was like "wow, that quite the glob, but not as gross as I had expected."  Well then more came out a 2nd and 3rd time over the last 24 hours and I realized how gross that really would have been had it all came out at once.

I did call the midwife this morning because I had some red blood streaks, but she said it's normal and as long as it's not a flow I'm fine.

I've got everything but my legs crossed that things will really start progressing now!

Ready or Not?

It's looking right now like the answer is not :(

All the way to my appointment yesterday I was preparing myself to hear that I was not dilated any more and that she wasn't going to be able to strip my membranes.  After all the customary question and answers she asked me if I wanted her to strip my membranes if she could.  My immediate answer was "Yes!".  She said "Even if it means you might have her today?"  My answer "I would learn to live with it if she arrives today!"

As she's preparing to examine me she says "Show me a 5!"  and I was like "I'm not going to get my hopes up for that."  But when she checked she said right away "We have a 3!  Are you ready?"  Boy was I ever!  It really didn't bother me at all.

After leaving I had some cramping and discomfort while eating lunch and every time I took a step while walking around all after noon I felt like I had to pee.  But other than that, there hasn't been much to speak of.  Throughout the night I woke a few times to what I thought was going to be a real contraction, starting in the back, working it's way around the front and top, but they never made it all the way around my belly.

I've done lots of reading and it pretty much seems like it only works part of the time, there doesn't seem to be any set of conditions that make it more probable than others either.  And it seems that it can take anywhere up to 48hrs for labor to even start.

I'm thinking it might not work this time because she did mention that she's a little confused on why I look like I've dropped, I'm measuring like I've dropped, and have all the "symptoms" of dropping, but the baby's head didn't feel that low when she was in there.  It has me a little concerned on the size and position of the baby, but she didn't seem too worried.

Just Not Today

Seems weird to feel like I've been praying for this little one to come out forever, but right now, I don't want her to come out today.

I have lots of people telling me she's coming today and if she continues her streak of doing exactly the opposite of what mommy wants, she'll be here within 16 hours or so.  At my appointment today, cervix willing, the plan is to strip my membranes.  I was a fingertip dilated last time so hopefully the contractions over the last week have helped me get to at least 1cm and things will go smoothly, but not so smoothly that my labor is less than 12 hours.

Really if she is born on this 29th day of February, it won't be a huge deal, I will be happy to meet her whenever she decides to arrive.  I just won't be looking forward to explaining to her when she turns 5, 6 or 7 why she doesn't have an actual birthday.

So with the notion that she will hopefully be coming in the next day or two I've been thinking about how I want to handle things after labor.  After Lillian was born I had a bombardment of people in the room before I was even able to shower.  I refuse to let that happen again this time.  I actually have pictures of people other than me and B holding my baby girl in the same room that I gave birth to her in.  In my hospital the birthing rooms and recovery rooms are in different hallways.  So here's the thought I have...I have a list of people I (or some one) will be sending labor updates to.  Once the wee one is born I will send stats and a message saying we thank everyone for their support and patience.  We will start accepting visitors... (obviously this will depend on the time of day she's born).

My other thought is that I'm worried about how Lillian is going to react to her little sister and me having to be so attentive to her.  While I know that she understands there is a baby coming and that right now she's in my belly, I know she doesn't understand that it means she can't have all my attention.  I'm trying to decide on how I want to introduce them.  I think the best option is to just have the baby in the room and in the bassinet when Lillian arrives to meet her, not me or daddy holding her.  That way I can love on Lillian right away and let her know how much I've missed her.  Then introduce her to the baby.  And of course we have a gift from baby sister to Lillian and a shirt that says "Best Big Sister Ever" for her to wear.

Another thought I've had to help Lillian deal with not being the center of attention is to ask all visitors to come in and say hi to Lillian first and let Lillian introduce or show them the baby.  Let her say "see my baby sister" or something like that rather than them just rushing to the baby like many family members do.  Do you think it's rude of me to mention this to people who may visit?  I just really don't want her to feel left out.

Do you think any of this sounds unreasonable?  Or have a better suggestion on ways to introduce baby to siblings and stop visitors from invading?

38 Weeks and Then Some

So I've tried to write this post a few times, but apparently blogger no long supports the version of Internet.Explorer I have on my work computer and I can't very well call the IT people and say "Hey, I need to blog so you need to update my internet.  One thing about working for a fortune 500 company is that you pretty much have no control over anything you use and can't download anything.  I've been using google.chrome at home for quite some time now and I love it so I decided to try and download it at work this morning fully expecting to get an error, but guess what, it worked!!!  Yay!

So anyway, here I am at 38 weeks and 3 days.  This little girl has officially baked longer than her big sister did who was born at 38 weeks 2 days.  I'm feeling it, I'm feeling very over due even though technically I can still go 2 weeks and then some before my midwife will do anything forceful.

After my 37 week appointment I had a break down, but this week I wasn't so bad.  I have accepted the fact that it's now just a sit and wait game.  She will come when she is ready to come and hopefully like her big sister, it will be once I'm completely convinced she won't be here until after her due date.

At this weeks appointment my mw did check me and I'm barely dilated a fingertip.  Not that it really means anything.  I'm just hoping that by next Wednesday I'm dilated enough for her to strip my membranes and hopefully get this show on the road.  I'm starting to have the fear that the saying "If I had my second one first, there wouldn't be a second" is going to hold true for me.  I was blessed with an easy pregnancy, delivery and baby with Lillian and I'm just thinking things aren't going to be so great this time.

Speaking of Big Sister Lillian, she really is getting so big.  I'd like to believe that she is fully potty trained.  At home anyway.  The only time she wears a diaper with me is bed time and when we are in the car at bed time and she may fall asleep.  She doesn't even wear one for naps at home anymore, although she doesn't take many naps at home anymore either.  The only thing close to an accident we've had in a long time is the little dampness she got when I couldn't get her to the bathroom quick enough at the store.  I haven't even had a change a poopy diaper in a long time!  And this week she's even pooped on the potty at the sitters all week!  This is a great accomplishment since she was waiting for her diaper at nap time to go.  I'm so very proud of her!  She also does lots of things by herself now like wash her hands and button her shirt and all those "Big Girl" things!

And the one that kills me...

Buzz in her new Booster Car Seat

She's big enough to sit in a booster seat in the car now.  While this is great for extra room now that we have an infant seat in there again, it wasn't something I was totally prepared for.  She loves it though and it makes her feel like such a big kid.


For now I will leave you with this, my 38 week belly picture.

These were my last two pictures with Lilian.  I don't think I look quite so big this time and although my thighs feel huge, I don't feel as big this time.

37 Weeks

Yes I've made it to 37 weeks, full term! While I am very happy about this, I am not happy about the thought of there still possibly being 3 weeks left, or maybe even 4! I can't imagine how painful things will be then! Don't get me wrong, I want my baby girl to stay in there until she is nice and healthy to come out, but I also want to have my sanity too. 

Right now I'm functioning on a day by day basis and while this may cause a disappointment every day it causes less anxiety than the thought of how I may feel in 3 weeks should I not have a little girl to hold.

At my appointment today my MW informed me that she won't check me, let alone sweep my membranes until I'm 39 weeks.  I'm really frustrated by this, I'd really like to know if the 2 hours work of contractions I had 5 minutes apart yesterday did anything.  Of course, even if it did do something you can be dilated 3cm for weeks, so I guess it doesn't really matter.

Here's this week's lovely picture...

What do you think of the new design?  It's not really what I wanted, but for the time being it will have to do until I have time to change it to the one I want when I'm home. 

L&D: Act II Scene 1

I figured my first trip to L&D with Lillian was Act I so this may as well be Act II. I was really hoping not to have to go to the hospital until I was in labor, but alas I was a little worried and the doctor wanted to be on the safe side.

Tuesday morning about 1am I woke up with a horrible headache that had me almost in tears for 2 hours.  Tyle.nol didn't help and I was only able to fall back asleep with a cold washcloth on my face.  Then when I woke up to get ready for work my hands were all swollen and my gums were bleeding bad when I brushed my teeth.  Bleeding gums can be normal, but the most I've ever had is a little pink when I rinsed, this time it was red.

When the headache was still lingering around 9 and my hands were still swollen I figured I better call the Dr and at least let them know what was going on.  The OB decided I should go to the hospital to have my BP monitored and some labs done.  My first BP was 147/60, which normally wouldn't be considered high, but considering it went all the way down to 110/60 within an hour the nurse said it is considered high because it's more than 20% over my normal BP wich is around 112/60.  So after sever BP reads, blood work and the pee test they sent me home with a red jug and a hat to pee in for 24hrs.

Everything has come back normal!

Yesterday at my 36 week appt my midwife actually told me "I'm surprised you actually made it to this appointment, I was afraid you weren't going to.  But she can come any time she wants now so give me a call when your contractions are 5 minutes apart or your water breaks."  Those are the best words I've heard!  And I have started having the "real" painful contractions so I'm just biding my time until they become regular and I can call.  I'm nervous about being at work though, I really don't want my water to break here.  And I know the protocal for call the Dr about contractions, but what about when to leave work?

36 Weeks

8 Months, 33 Weeks, 50 Days!

All ways you can measure how far along I am in my pregnancy.

8 Months Pregnant
33 Weeks Along
50 Days Left (give or take, I'm hoping to take!)

At my 32 week appointment I was told that everything I'm feeling is normal, the contractions, pressure and pains.  Some nights I'm very uncomfortable to the point I can't even sit on the couch, I have to go lay down.  I hate this feeling mostly cause I feel like B is doing everything.  Which in all reality he isn't I suppose.  I still play with Lillian, pay the bills, do the laundry.  It's mostly just the little things with the constant getting up and down that he does for me mostly cause it takes me so long to get up and down.  I move slow, I'm big and I'm trying to avoid pains from moving too fast.  Lillian is finally understanding that I can't carry her!  I'm so happy about this cause I was feeling horrible not picking her up.

I've started to get asked "Have you dropped?" and while I don't know if I look like I've dropped, this morning I certainly felt like it.  I feel like all of her weight is on my pelvis and forward.  Not very comfortable.

It hit me yesterday that there is a very good chance that this little one could be here in 4 weeks!!!  Can you say panic???  As ready as I physically feel for her to be here, I'm not mentally ready and her stuff certainly isn't ready!  I don't even have the bassinet, swing, bouncer or anything at my house yet.  And I haven't washed one thing!  I really need to get a move on!

Borrowing an Idea

Well I guess really it's more like stealing since I can't really give it back.  Ashley over at More Than Dog Children is doing a 30 Days of Thankful and I think it's a great idea and just what I need right now. 

Today I'm thankful for my little girl, who isn't so little any more!  She had her 2.5 year well child visit last week and when the receptionist said "we won't need to see her again until she's 3" it hit me that it's only 6 months away!  For so long 3 has seemed like this number way off in the distance and now it seems like it's speeding at me like a bullet.  But my big girl is healthy and very smart according to the Doctor.  And she amazed the crap out of me when she came to me with her sweatshirt zipped the other day.  Yes, my 2.5 year old started the zipper herself for the first time!  Potty training is going fairly well.  It's taking a lot longer than I thought it would, but I appreciate the good days and try to forget the bad days.

Not much in the way of a pregnancy update.  I'm 22 weeks now, so hopefully on 16 or so more to go, but I'll figure on 19 and try not to get my hopes up too high.  I'm getting very frustrated with my weight gain and I'm considering giving up trying to watch what I eat.  What's the point of depriving myself of comforts when it's not doing me much good anyway?  Hopefully this last week of trying will give me confidence.

I'm feeling baby girl move more and more and that's comforting.  I can't wait for Lillian to be able to feel it.  I love that she rubs and kisses my belly.  And it's just too cute when she looks in my belly button and says "yup, she's still in there."



The Halfway Point

I sincerely apologize for it taking so long to get to this post.  The last part of the first half of this pregnancy was not a very happy one.  No worries, everything is fine with the baby!  I got my flu shot and confessed about my depression to the midwife.  She has offered a medication that has been tested to be safe in the second trimester, but depending on the doctor they may suggest discontinuing use in the last month of pregnancy to prevent the baby from having any withdrawal symptoms.  She said she would leave the decision up to me if I want to go on it and if in the last month I would want to continue use or not.  The withdrawal doesn't last long, but can cause feeding issues.  I'm still up in the air on how I feel about the whole thing.

My cake balls turned out awesome!  Probably not the prettiest ones, but they sure were yummy!  Strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting and coated with chocolate.  Like heaven in your mouth!

My girls get away was ok.  I was the only one who stayed up past 9, I couldn't eat much and felt sick half the night, but it was nice to relax and not feel like I was being pulled in a million directions.

Sunday Lilli and I spent the afternoon with my sister AKA Pocca.

Sunday night when I went to bed my shoulder was very achy.  I thought that the ache from the flu shot had gone, but I just chalked the pain up to that.  By morning both shoulders my neck and chest were sore and taking deep breaths hurt.  I got up and got ready for work anyway.  I had a supplier coming in that I'm working on a major project with.  By the time I got to my desk I was no longer hoping I could make it, I was sending and email to my boss with all the information he was going to need to run the meeting in my place.  By the time I got home again it hurt just to breath.  And trying to lay down in bed was some of the worst pain I think I have experienced since giving birth.  I slept ALL day.  Yesterday I stayed home again, the pain wasn't as bad, but I knew if I pushed it I wasn't going to get any better.

Also Sunday night as B and I lay in bed, just dozing off, the phone rings.  Everyone knows not to call our house past 8pm. I knew it had to either be a drunk buddy of his or something important.  Considering the person it was we decided to let the machine pick it up.  The message left was just "B, it's T, get a hold of me."  Not odd for the person, just the hour.  5 minutes later the phone rang again, same person.  I decided to let B decide if he wanted to answer it.  He didn't, I found out later he already knew what the message was going to be, but it was "B, it's T again, I'm in Roc with L and they are taking J off his machine."

T is B's cousin and L & J are brothers that have been their friends since childhood.  B actually lived with L & J and their family for a few years growing up.

Turns out he was expecting this call because my FIL had been told by J's mom that they were seeing no brain activity for a while.  J had a rough life, in his early 20s he was diagnosed with brain tumors that wouldn't go away.  This was about 8 years ago, just after B and I met.  May he rest in peace pain free.

Now on to what you are actually reading this post for...

It's a... Girl!

Since there were only 5 votes (that I knew who voted) I decided to enter everyone in the drawing.  Turns out it was a girl vote that won anyway.  Congratulations to Joy!

Send me an email at brandisboutique@gmail.com to talk about your prize!  And if any of the other voters would like a discount on a hat feel free to email me there too!

Well, I think this is long enough for now, I better get some work done!

16 Weeks and More Unexpected Happenings

Thanks for the comments yesterday girls.  I don't think my family and friends would think ill of a gender reveal party and I suppose anyone that doesn't care to celebrate it with me, doesn't have to.

Now the next problem is the guest list.  Who I really want to invite is just our immediate family (the grandparents and my sister) and our closest friends.  This would be about 30 people total, if everyone showed up and I know that there are a few that couldn't.  Ideally I only want 25 people there anyway.  The problem, this means not inviting the 15 extended family members that expect to be invited to everything and won't understand why friends got invited before they did.  Don't get me wrong, some of them would completely understand (and of course they are the ones that if I could pick and choose would be invited).

Unexpected: B talked this through with me last night and since most of the extended family is on his side he says that either we just have a dinner party to celebrate or invite everyone.  What would you do?  Inviting everyone is almost 50 people!

Unexpected #2: My midwife had a student working for her yesterday.  This normally doesn't bother me for an exam or my general health, but when it comes to my unborn child it makes me a little nervous.  He was good though and admitted when he wasn't sure about something and needed to ask my MW which I was thankful for.  What I wasn't thankful for was him searching for a heartbeat for over 5 minutes before going to get my MW.  I knew right away he wasn't going to find it because even though I told him the baby was low he never put the doppler low enough and second he certainly wasn't pressing hard enough.  Thankfully he went and got my MW just before I was just going to ask for the dang doppler.  She came in and found the heartbeat right away!  Talk about relief. (oh it was 153 by the way, I'll do my weekly post tomorrow)

Unexpected #3:  Lastly was a very nice surprise.  I was telling B how I had been talking to Lilli about getting the big girl bed that's in her play room and giving her crib to the baby and she was so excited she wanted to get out of the bath right then and move it!  His response was, well then as soon as you are feeling better we'll get on it.  I said "you realize that means you have to start doing part of her bed time right.  Like putting her to bed, in her bed?"  He understood!  I think we may get going on this, this weekend!  I'm very excited.
Well, I'm sure there was more I wanted to say, but work interrupted me, grrr.

Please click on the link and vote for me.  I'm quickly falling out of the 200s!

12 Weeks!

I'm here, the magic 12 week mark.

Right now I'm not really so sure what is so magical about it, but I'm so glad to be here!

Stats:

Weight: +7lbs

BP: Good

Heart Beat: 162 bpm

I had my 12 week appointment yesterday and we had a bit of a scare.  ML was sure she was going to be able to find the heartbeat on the doppler, but after several minutes of trying and finding nothing that indicated baby was in there and well she sent me to the hospital for an ultrasound.  I have to say that I am very happy that she is proactive and didn't just blow it off saying "It might be too early, we'll try again next time." cause I probably would have freaked out.  Anyway, the ultrasound showed a happy, bouncing baby with a healthy heart rate and perfect size.

The video in this link shows pretty much what I saw during the ultrasound yesterday.  Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures.

Here's what's going on this week according to Baby.Center:

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long  and weighs half an ounce. Or the size of...

A Little of This and That

The end to a miserable day:

My miserable Tuesday didn't end much better.  I was feeling ok when I got home, but I was tired and my stomach was off.  Lillian was slightly miserable too so B told us to go in the bedroom where it was cooler and watch a movie.  I certainly didn't object.  He went out to do some yard work.  In a half hours time Lilli decided she had to go to the bathroom 3 times.  While normally this would make me ecstatic because she peed, pooped and peed again on the potty, this wasn't the case.  Every time I had to get I started feeling increasingly sick.  B came in just in time.  I was laying on the bed and just couldn't move, if I did the only place I was going was to the bathroom to lose whatever may have been in my stomach.  B could tell I was miserable and helped Lilli with whatever it was she needed.  I ended up passing out around 6 or 6:30.  I remember being woke up around 7:30 for something and then again at 9.  Neither time did I have any trouble falling back asleep and didn't wake up again until my alarm went off at 4!  Apparently I really needed the sleep!

Just Another Day:
Yesterday pretty much did end up being just another day.  My appointment got canceled because my MW had to get to the hospital to deliver a baby.  While I realize at a lot of practices this wouldn't happen because there is always some one to take over their patients.  My office though only consists of my midwife and the OB she works with, and the nurses of course.  Also this rarely happens, maybe 3 times since I started going there in Sept of '08.  And they typically call to reschedule before you get to the office.  Yesterday it just so happened that she got the call just before my appt though and the girl was at 9, almost 10.  While I know some people would have thrown a fit (I've heard stories from the receptionist) I don't mind.  I remember my nurse waiting until I was at 10 to even call and then wouldn't let me do anything until the OB got there.  That was the longest most horrible pain of my life and the only time during my whole labor that I asked for something for the pain.    Not to mention the only time during my 24 hours of labor that I was even remotely rude.  I believe after the 3rd contraction I was told to not push through my words were "Where the f*ck is she, her office is only 2 F*cking blocks away!" And yes I knew she was at the office cause when I was only 8cm the hour before they told me she was there.  Alas, no appt yesterday, it was rescheduled for Monday afternoon.  I did weigh myself though and I'm still only up 5lbs, so I'm happy with that, should me based on MW scale I haven't gained anything.

Eh, I'm done for today, that's enough rambling.  Tomorrow's post is most likely going to be about biting, I bet you can't wait!

While you're here today please vote for me by clicking the banner below.  One click automatically send the vote!

121

That's what Bean's heart rate was today! Right where is should be! And Bean was also exactly 1 week further along in growth!!!

I'm feeling very confident now and I'm so over the moon I don't know what to do with myself.

This picture shows the baby's head at the top. Due to my extensive research (and staring at pictures on the Internet) I can see the little arm and leg buds. Of course this is a picture of a picture and my actual picture isn't as good as what the screen showed. It was amazing to see the little tail and umbilical cord though!

I really can't wait to tell my little girl that she's going to be a big sister! She is going to be sooo excited!

Oh and the midwife for now has suggested tums for the excessive acid in my stomach. We'll see if they work this time. if not she does have something she can give me, but they try to any type of meds in the first trimester.

What I've Been Waiting For

Yesterday seemed to take forever!

I love my midwife! She is just so happy for me I thought she was going to cry. She just kept saying "Yay, I'm so happy and excited for you!" We talked about symptoms, which I have a ton of and how we're pretty sure I know the date of my last AF. We talked about my happy pills and the decisions I have to make regarding them. Then she asked if I had any more questions. I was shocked she never even mentioned an ectopic so I asked what my chances were. She looked at me strange and went back in my file. (I love that their office uses laptops and everyone brings one in with them for easy reference). The OB had noted that I was at a slight increased risk and my MW knew I was worried so she ordered the ultrasound, of course with the warning that being I'm only 5 weeks and 6 days (according to LMP) we probably wouldn't be able to see anything, but we'd check the tubes and if we couldn't see anything anywhere she'd order some blood work.

I got right in for the ultrasound and again was warned that we may not see anything. I her I completely understood, but I didn't want to risk any more harm to my tubes by not checking. It's funny that she even mentioned "I was supposed to see you today, then I wasn't and now I am. How's your little one doing, I remember you from you last pregnancy." The personal interaction is what I love about this place!

So anyway, you don't care. She explained she was doing all the measurements of my uterus, tubes and ovaries, but she things she sees an interuteran pregnancy. After all the measurements, she went back to my uterus and I saw it right away, a sack and an embryo. As soon as she zoomed in to take a measurement we both saw that beautiful flicker of a heartbeat! That image keeps replaying over and over in my head. I could have laid there all after noon watching that. She was even able to zoom in enough to get the heart rate, 98bpm. It's low, but I have been assured over and over again it always starts low and chances are that it just started beating in the last day or two. But without me asking my MW said she was scheduling another ultrasound for next week to make sure the rate increases. So I'm sure you are thinking "Just shut up and show me the damn picture already." OK, OK.

There are some other things that are growing well too! I'm so proud of my garden and soon I will be eating my first vegetable from it! I don't know why, but this zucchini has grown 10 times faster than the rest of them!

Tomatoes on the plant that I thought had drown from the rain.

Green beans and peas that need a little tending this weekend.

Happy Thoughts

I would really appreciate happy thoughts and/or prayers from everyone.

In 7 (what will feel very long and drawn out) hours I have my first midwife appt. This appt was originally scheduled to check to see if the fluid had drained from my tubes. I hoped and prayed that this appt would end up being to check for an ectopic pregnancy instead and thankfully it has turned out that way!

Now I could use all the happy thoughts anyone has to offer that first they do take a look (which I do plan on insisting on if they don't think it's necessary) and second that what we see in a comfy little bean nestled snugly in my uterus happily exercising it's newly formed heart muscle. I do believe that is what we are going to see, but any extra help would be greatly appreciated.

The last few weekends Lillian and I have made the hour trip up to my mom's camp ground because my uncles T (from Boston) and H (from West Palm) have made the trip there to visit family. I surprised them all yesterday by just showing up and it really was a nice relaxing time. Lillian actually took a nap with Grandma and Uncle T and Aunt D and I got to just sit and chat for over an hour. I can't remember the last time we had a chance to do that. And of this time with family lent itself to some great picture taking opportunities.

Lillian painted her own fingernails for the first time!

I just love this picture! Lillian and Uncle T hanging out!

"No mom I'm not tired! No nap!" And after 5 minutes of a movie. . .

Reading a book and showing the pictures to her second cousin.

Pretty good form for a 2 year old don't you think? Never mind if she actually hits the ball.

She loves the older boys. And don't let him fool you, he loves playing with her too!

What a tiring day! Wish I could have fallen asleep on the way home!

I may be a little bias, but isn't she just the cutest thing?

Passing Time

That's what I'm trying to do, pass the time. I was very happy to have a long holiday weekend this week and wish it could have been longer.

Saturday was my sister's 21st birthday and party. She rented out part of a local bar that gives drink specials and a DJ for 3 hours. Obviously my original plan was to celebrate my little sister's 21st birthday to the fullest with her. But when I found out I was pregnant I figured the next best thing I could do was be the DD for everyone. The problem with this plan became very apparent quickly. No one would believe I was just being a nice sister and driving for her. Then when my family realized I was sick it was very obvious to them I must be pregnant. So pretty much all of our family knows now. It was a long night, but I managed to make it to 4am after several trips to the bar and then back to my mom's where my wonderful uncle made pizza and wings for everyone to enjoy.

Sunday I spent the day with the family up at my mom's camp. Lillian had fun bonding with her uncle's that she doesn't get to see often and I had fun catching up with everyone. My sister road home with me and we were watching fireworks as I drove, well that was a mistake because I missed my exit off the thruway and it took us on a 20 minute detour, resulting in me not getting to bed until about midnight.

On Monday it was another Family picnic with B's family. We decided to tell the family there as well since it really isn't much of a secret anymore. I felt horrible when I fell asleep for 2 hours with Lillian during the cookout, but I couldn't help it. The last two late nights had finally caught up with me.

I was so glad to have yesterday off too. I had so many things I wanted to do around the house, but instead decided to take Lillian on a shopping trip since I don't have time for that stuff during the week. It was great, I found clothes for both of us and shoes for B. Then I took Lillian to her first movie. She was in awe at the screen and how big it was and that I was letting her eat popcorn while she watched the movie and she didn't have to be at her table.

Now today I am back to work and wishing time would go by faster. I can't wait for the week to be over and then for Monday to be here so I can have my appt. I really want to know that there is a heart beating in my belly. I'm extremely bloated every time I eat, have indigestion a lot and feel sick in the night, but I need confirmation for my brain.