Monday, July 27, 2015

Here's the Update!

I'm sorry for any confusion my Facebook post caused. I'm NOT having the baby tonight (as far as I know!). Here's what IS happening.

Baby Girl is a healthy 5.5lbs. This makes me more than a little nervous, as her big sister only weighed 6.4, but God is in control. Her heart rate was a little low during my NST, but it wasn't with contractions and it did increase, so my doctor isn't worried. She was practicing breathing beautifully during the BPP. She's still head down, which is great! They think she has a few wisps of hair, but with the way she moves it's hard to tell. She let us get one picture before moving her hand completely in front of her face.

When I finally talked to the doctor my big concern was the low heart rate during the NST. He assured me it's nothing to be concerned about. I asked when I'll get to a point where they won't stop labor, and he said I'm already there! She could come at any time, and it's okay! This is HUGE!!!!! I'm absolutely terrified. We spent Saturday trying to clean and organize our bedroom to make room for her, and in the process made a huge mess throughout the house. I also have had severe pelvic pain since then, so my doctor put me on light duty and told me not to do any more organizing like I was. We have a VERY long way to go before the house is ready, so prayers are appreciated that Shaun will have the energy and time to finish it alone.

I don't have anything packed yet, so after dishes, laundry and basic housework that's my big goal for this week. Technically we have to pack four bags; one for me, one for Shaun, one for Baby and one for Hope, because she's going to be staying with family or friends while we're in the hospital. I have a plan and a backup plan for her. Once the house is ready and our bags are packed, Baby Girl can come. Until then, I really hope she waits. I'm absolutely terrified our house won't be ready in time. I feel like we've been so busy this summer, we just haven't had time to make it a priority.

Baby Girl absolutely loves music. We're watching the Buffy episode "Once More with Feeling" and she's dancing up a storm! I can feel her moving more frequently when we have any music playing. I absolutely love it! That's it for tonight. Hopefully there will be more good news on Thursday! I referenced this song when I confided my fears about never having another baby in a friend last fall. We're each expecting our second a week apart now! God is GOOD! I've heard it a few times this pregnancy, but thought I'd share it here tonight. Can't wait to hold our little bundle of JOY!

No, that's not her name.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Never a Dull Moment!

Today was my first day off all summer. I'm not even necessarily off on weekends, since I'm a mom and I work in my church nursery. I chose to spend the day Bible journaling, reading and watching Netflix. It was a great, quiet, refreshing time. Then Shaun asked me to go to the grocery store.

Everything was fine until I started walking toward the checkout. Suddenly I had excruciating cramps in my left side. I quickly checked out and went to my car. I sat for a few minutes to see if the change in positions would alleviate them. It didn't. I drove home and told Shaun we needed to go to the hospital. Cramping is one of the symptoms my doctor told me to come in for. I laid down on the couch for a few minutes while he asked more detailed questions about my symptoms. In the end we decided to have my mom drive me to the hospital so he could finish cooking dinner. It didn't feel like early labor, so Shaun felt okay staying home.

The beautiful thing is now we know exactly what to do when we go to the hospital. They checked me right in to labor and delivery, and my doctor was there in record time. I was thoroughly impressed, because all three times I went in with Hope I never once saw a doctor, much less mine. He checked me and determined I wasn't dilated, but assured me I did the right thing by coming in. He reminded me of the symptoms to come in for before ordering a non-stress test. They wasted no time in discharging me when the test was over. Overall it was an excellent experience. I'm relieved Baby Girl isn't ready yet and nothing was wrong. For the record, my doctor didn't say what could have caused the cramps, but I also didn't ask. I'll see him tomorrow and ask then.

When I called Shaun to update him, his first question was how the baby was. He called her by her middle name for the first time! Normally he uses her first, and even that he doesn't use often, but I could hear the anticipation and concern in his voice. It was so special.

Thanks for the continued prayers. I'll try to write a blog after my appointment tomorrow.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Two Updates (Including Baby Showers)

I had appointments on Monday and Thursday last week. Obviously I've gotten a tad behind on my updates. Sorry!

Monday was my second BPP and NST. Baby Girl was NOT cooperative for pictures, so we didn't get any. I hope this isn't a sign of what's to come. My doctor suggested a safe sleep aid, and I will try it if I ever remember to buy it. The biggest change is he decided to see me twice a week, after each BPP and NST.

Thursday I took Hope with me. I don't think she was too thrilled with having to go, but she loved seeing the ultrasound! Baby Girl put on quite a show of keeping her feet and her hands over her face, preventing pictures again. The tech managed to snap one, but you can barely make out her face under her foot. She's going to give us a run for our money, for sure! She's stubborn, stubborn, stubborn already! My doctor has switched from telling me to call and come to the office if I'm in labor to telling me to go directly to the hospital. I don't think he expects her to wait until September, either!

Baby Shower Update: My church is AMAZING!!!! If you're local and looking for a church, come check us out! I'm the nursery director, and I was told last week I can take at least 6-8 weeks off when Baby arrives. I've made arrangements beginning the last weekend in August, and I've already found a replacement director while I'm on 'leave'. The other (bigger) reason they're awesome is they celebrate EVERY baby born in the church. It doesn't matter if it's your first or your fifth, every baby gets a party. Since we're cloth diapering, Baby Girl gets a 'Book & Bow' party on August 23rd. Any friends or family who would like to come are welcome, just pm me and I'll tell you the details.

Welcome Baby: My mom is throwing a "Welcome Baby Girl' party on September 19th. I want ALL our friends and family who've prayed for us since losing William to have the chance to hold her. This is two weeks after she's due (so she'll definitely be there!) and before cold and flu season. If you went to Hope's shower, this will be at the same place.

We registered at Babies R Us and Target. Shaun did most of the registering at Babies R Us (so I apologize if anything REALLY weird is on there) and Hope registered at Target. I wanted her to pick out a few things for her room in case someone wants to buy her a 'big sister' gift. She also found some cute outfits and accessories she wants for her sister.

Thank you again for all your prayers and support on this journey. Baby is kicking hard right now and I can't wait until she's here. I keep saying i want her to wait until after the church shower, but I wouldn't mind if she didn't! I just want her to wait until Hope is in school. The two biggest prayer requests right now are that she STAYS healthy and that we're ready when she arrives. We don't have her room ready (not a huge deal since I don't expect her to use it for the first six months, but an inconvenience) and her co-sleeper isn't set up yet. I'm really starting to panic that nothing will be ready when she arrives.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Better Late Than Never....

First thing first, I'd like to apologize for the tardiness of this blog post. Hope's birthday was Thursday, I had two doctor appointments, and she had a swim meet. BUSY DAY! I'm going to try to keep updating the day of my appointments, but I can't guarantee anything. Here's a rundown of all the fun stuff that happened last week.

Tuesday: William turned three! I can't believe it's been three years since I saw his sweet face. Three years since we held him. Three years is a long, long time. I know I've just begun on this journey, but still. Looking at his 'twin' (my friend's baby girl born a month after he was due) I'm amazed again how much babies grow and change in three years. We always try to make his birthday a celebration, and this year was no exception. I planned on us baking cookies in my truck. I didn't plan on having the coldest summer on record with rain and clouds all week. We put the cookies in my truck, but in the end I pulled them out and we used the oven. The kids still loved them!

Wednesday: Typical day. Nothing noteworthy to report; other than I was becoming more agitated as Baby Girl's movements became less frequent and predictable.

Thursday: Hope's turned TEN!!! I'm still a little in denial over this one. I thought eight was tough (tween years! Yikes!) Nope, ten is worse. Way worse. I've been a mom for a decade. I don't feel that old! She handled it beautifully, of course. We had our traditional cake for breakfast. This year she chose an ice cream cake, which we shared with all the daycare kids. Initially she was irate I had to leave the festivities to go to the doctor, but when we pointed out she had VBS and a swim meet and wouldn't really miss me she calmed down.

Doctor visit: These are all supposed to be the same from here out. I had the BPP first. This is basically a specific ultrasound. Baby Girl has to make so many specific movements in 30 minutes. If she makes them faster, I move on to phase two sooner. If she doesn't make them, she loses points and my doctor will discuss it with me the next time I see him. I'm not sure yet what the plan is if she loses points, so I'm asking tomorrow. I mentioned to the nurse my frustration over not feeling her move as frequently, but when I watched her on the screen and realized how often she's moving and I just can't feel it, I relaxed tremendously. I still need to count her kicks, and if there's fewer than ten in two hours I'm supposed to lie down and drink water for half an hour. If she still doesn't reach ten, I have to call my doctor. So far a phone call hasn't been needed. Whew!

Phase two is the NST where they measure her heart rate and my contractions. She had a beautiful heart rate, as always. She passed both tests with flying colors. I'm eager for her to get here, but I'm still freaking out a bit because Shaun and I both have clutter we need to clear out before her room and our room is ready. We just haven't had time. His work schedule is changing constantly because his store is switching to 24 hours, and I'm so wiped at the end of the day I'm doing well to squeeze in family time. Not tomorrow, but the following Monday the kids all have VBS. Hopefully I can get my work done while they're gone. The absolute worst case scenario would be finishing it after school starts. That's the real reason why I want her to stay comfy and cozy right now. I'm not ready for her!

Monday, July 6, 2015

Big Things Ahead!

Well, this pregnancy has been textbook perfect so far, so I can't really complain that it's just now veering from the norm.

Problem: My after meal blood sugars are a little elevated. My doctor is not too concerned, but aware enough to put me on a pill to attempt to control them. He assured us we're doing excellent at keeping the diet and this is nothing to worry about. In addition to the pill I will have non stress tests twice a week, and here's the best part: We get to see Baby Girl TWICE a week! Two ultrasounds to add to our collection! My blood pressure is also a little elevated, another side effect of the diabetes. It's nothing to worry about, but the non stress tests are to make sure Baby Girl is healthy. I'm thankful for a doctor who is an expert in the field of gestational diabetes. I feel much more confident this time around. I understand it's not my fault, and I know we've done our best to keep her healthy. Thank you for your continued prayers and support as we go.