Don't piss off a 2 year old...

Ever heard of the terrible two's? Last night after I ended my previous post and was heading to bed as promised, I rememberd I had not locked my car. (Pesky not having a garage...now I have to be conscientious and I hate that.) Anytime you go outside, Jace thinks he has to go too but it was late and cold so I told him no. I had to scoot him back a little so I could shut the door so he wouldn't follow me...low and behold when I came running back...Jace had locked me out! Little brat! I had to pound on the door and ring the door bell because Brendon was already asleep and Dallas was in his room with the door shut. Finally Dallas came out (it had been all of about 30 seconds you know) and I could hear him say, "who is pounding on the door?". Jace, standing on the stairs, proudly announces, "mommy". Then Dallas let me in. Me, Fred Flintstone and Rodney Dangerfield...can't get no respect.

Back in like Flynn

OMG...I have not been able to get into my own blog for a couple months. Since I am completely computer iliterate when I updated my blog to use Google or whatever it was it was prompting me to do every time I logged in, making me feel like a dinosaur because I had not moved my blog to Google or whatever it was it was it was prompting me to do every time I logged in, it would keep telling me "no account found" or "no such e-mail exsist" or something like that. I didn't have a Google account and it didn't tell me I needed one to move my blog to Google. So here I had finally started blogging again after two years and I screwed myself out of being about to blog again. Anyway, I read my friend's blog almost every day and thoroughly enjoy it so I decided to give it the old college try again but by then I couldn't remember my username or password so I moved around in blogger support for a half an hour ('bout like automated phone systems when you press the wrong # and have to start from the main menu 100 times). Having them e-mail me my information didn't do me any good since we moved a month ago and no longer have that provider. However, there are at least (3) e-mails sent to southslope in the off chance it would miraculously appear in my new e-mail account. I finally decided to just start trying different scenarios and low and behold I got in. In like Flynn.

But now it's time to put my 2 year old to bed so I'll have to blog again another day. Be looking for me!

Ever run out of TP?

So I was in the bathroom the other night when I realized there was no TP. I had bought TP like the week before that and had never made it passed the kitchen with it. So, in desperation I called out to Dallas to bring me some. He was not hearing me so I told Jace to go in the kitchen and bring mommy the toilet paper (intently pointing to the empty roll)...I beleive I had to say it a couple times. Finally he takes off running so I thought, "great, it worked - he is actually going to get the toilet paper! I'm a genius!". What he actually brought me back though was my Soap Opera Digest magazine. HAHAHA! Guess he saw me with that one too many times! HA!

And the moral of this little story is that if mom's ever got any privcay in the bathroom, he would not have known that! HA!

You don't see me complaining do ya...

Tonight I was cooking supper and in the early stages Brendon came into the kitchen, saw me browning hamburger and immediately complained that we were having tacos. We weren't having tacos (that's tomorrow night-hehe) but knowing he would complain even more about the fact that we were actually having spaghetti, I just didn't say a word.

A little while he later he comes back into the kitchen and being the smart kid that he is, he put two and two together when he saw two pots of water boiling on the stove and fell to the floor in dramatics (as predicted) about the spaghetti. The following conversation took place...

ME: "Brendon - you complained when you thought it was tacos and you're complaining now that you know it's spaghetti".

HIM: "I would have rather had the tacos"!

ME: "Well, you can tomorrow night".

HIM: "Whaaahhh!!" - fake crying and flailing around on the floor.

ME: "Come on - I haven't made you eat spaghetti in a long time".

HIM: "...and did I complain?"

Hahahahahaha! I said, "why would you complain about me NOT making you eat spaghetti?! HA!

The conversation really took a wrong turn though when we "compromised" and he would be having spaghetti-o's (& meatballs) while the rest of us had spaghetti. Once agreed I said, "fag-head-e-o's it is". That progressed to "fag-head-e-o's and balls" to, in the end, "fag-head-e-o's and Pete's balls". Fine example I set for my kids. Gonna be kinda hard to tell them to knock off the calling each other gay or saying "that's gay" all the time.

Oh and in case you were wondering all through this post why the two pots of boiling water...every time I make spaghetti I have to make curly (spiral) noodles for Dallas or I'll get the same dramatics from him that I got from Brendon. And Dallas doesn't like "fag-head-e-o's and Pete's balls" so I'd would have been screwed! HA!

Picture Posting Pretty Painless...

...say that 3 times fast...

I was seeing how easy it was to upload a picture into my blog and low and behold it was very easy. Easier I think that 2 years ago because if you frequented my blog back then, I kept promising to post my ultrasound pictures and never did..my bad.

But now that I see how easy it is, I'll have to find some pics of Brendon and Dallas and post them too. Wouldn't want to give them a "new baby in the family" complex or anything.

All my baby daddies...

I was picking up Jace's pictures at Walmart on Easter Sunday and the girl who took the pictures (and who was a bitch when we first got there and spent the rest of the session totally kissing my ass so that I wouldn't be mad at her, which really meant to not complain about her) was working. While we were waiting for the debit card to go through, she was small talking and asked me how my Easter was going. I replied, "well, right now all my kids are with their dads..." to which I immediately realized how bad that sounded! Like a Jerry Springer or Maury Povich show..."all my baby daddies!".

Completely and utterly mortified...

Ever been embarrassed by your kids' behavior...they throw a tantrum at the supermarket, hide under the racks in clothing stores, scream how mean of a mother you are because you NEVER buy them anything, make rude comments to people, beat the living crap out of each other when you or they have company, etc?

Ever been completely mortified by your kids' behavior?

Brendon has indoor baseball practice at least once a week at the middle school. Dallas has gone along many times and has either just watched or helped out if they were short players. Once Salvation Army basketball teams starting having practice there at the same time, Dallas and occassionally even another kid on our street would go and shoot hoops or hang out and watch. I guess there always was a little voice in my head that wondered if this was actually ok with Brendon's head coach. He is a "yes sir - no sir" kinda guy. And by that I mean he makes me feel like I should be saying "yes sir - no sir". But I never heard off any problems and figured they would let me know if there was.

Well, that time came last night. (Side note: because of the opportunity to hang out with the basketball kids before baseball practice starts, we also had gotten in the habit of going to practice about 20 minutes early.) I got an e-mail from the head coaches wife that they need me to only drop Brendon off (meaning not Dallas) from now on because one of the janitors reported the team to the office because Dallas had climbed inside one of the school's glass trophy cases that hang on the wall. (It was about this point of reading the e-mail that the mortification set in!!) It went on to say how their insurance doesn't handle things like that and how Dallas could have been hurt if the trophy case fell. (Now on top of mortification comes the shame of being a sub-class parent.) Then she went on to say that kids cannot be there when coaches aren't so I need to not drop Brendon off more than 10 minutes before practice. (This just reinforces that the rotten parent thing...one of those parents who brings their kids to things early and is the last one to pick them up.)

I already feel low class around these other baseball parents because they have money and we don't and this just amplified that a million times over!! I can't even imagine having to face them EVER let alone tonight when Brendon has practice again.

When I asked Dallas what possessed him to do that, his response was "they told me to". I said, "who is THEY?". He said Brendon and Colt (another kid from the team). I pulled out the old "jump off a bridge" argument and asked if he always does things just because someone told him too (of course he doesn't do what I tell him too so apparently I don't have the same influence on him!). His response..."I don't know". I HATE THAT!!!!!! I then asked Brendon why he tell him to do it, "you are 13 years old, you know better". His response..."I don't know". I told them I NEVER want to hear those words again. Everything is "I don't know" - yes you do! In that moment you make a choice and there HAS to be a reason that went throug your little head telling you to make that choice! I know why Dallas did it...because he thought it would be funny and it would impress the other guys. He thinks anything is ok to pull off as long as it gets him a laugh from his friends.

Does anyone have the number for a good boot camp because I don't even know what to do with my hellyuns anymore? Calgon take me away!

It's been over 2 years...

It's been over 2 years since my last post...I didn't even remember how to....

Well. I had my baby - my 3rd boy...all now are ages 13, 12 and 2...crazy!

I am recently separated - plan on filing for divorce in the forseeable furture.

I figured why just read about my friend's life in her blog (thebeanblog), although it does help me keep in touch with her life, when I could also be chronicling mine...and how much it sucks!!!!!

So, I'M BAAAAACCCKKKK!!!!

Brothers & Sisters Club

I took the boys to a Brothers & Sisters Club class at the hospital tonight and boy am I SO glad we went. I was hesitant when I first signed up because she said the next oldest child in the class that night was 8 and the age ranges were 3 - 8 years old. I started to think my boys would feel really out of place. We were actually supposed to go last Wednesday and then Dallas got sick so we rescheduled for this Wednesday. I tried to give the boys an out on whether they even wanted me to reschedule or not and they did. I'm glad we were in tonight's class because there were 10 kids all together and there were a couple other boys around their age.

They really enjoyed it. We were supposed to bring baby pictures of themselves so when we first got there they took those and put an ID bracelet on them just like the one the baby will have when it's born. They got an activity book where they could write a story about their own birth. It was fill in the blank so they'd have to ask mom & dad questions. There were pages to color and word games of baby related words, dot to dot, pages where they could put their baby picture, a picture of the new baby when it comes and a picture of them with the baby (again when it comes) all in a row on a page. And above that is a guest book page where they can have the people who visit us at the hospital sign in. They got finger printed on a sticker and that went on a page along with the ID bracelet they got. There was a page to put a certificate they got for attending the class.

They had all the kids sit on the floor and these 2 nurses first showed the baby pictures every one had brought and talked about how different those babies look compared to how the kids look now. All the things the babies in those pictures couldn't do yet or do for themselves that others would have to do for them, etc. They showed life size pictures of what a woman's body looks like on the inside before and during pregnancy. They asked the kids to point out and name things on the pictures. Real names too like uterus and umbilical cord. They talked about things the baby does and goes through while it's in the uterus. I was really proud of my boys, they participating a lot in the discussion and always raised their hand. Unlike a couple other younger kids who talked NONSTOP!

Then we went to a birthing room and they explained the monitors and the birthing bed. Took it apart, pulled out the stirrups. Talked about contractions and pushing. Showed the warming tables they put the babies in to clean them up and check out their heart, give them some air, check length and weight. Showed them how after mommy has gotten up for a bit, they pull down a queen size bed out of the wall for her to sleep in the rest of the time. Showed the refrigerators, tv's and vcrs in the room for when kids come to visit mommy and baby. They showed the little kitchen where there is pop, juice, and snacks for the families.

It got REALLY interesting when we went back to the classroom. First they had some formula for them to try. That was priceless! I took pictures of Brendon and Dallas just as they were taking the sips. I know Brendon's face was already curdling so I hope the shot is good. I couldn't take any more of their after reactions because they both starting gagging and I totally thought they both were going to throw up right there. It was hilarious!!! Then they got to change a diaper on a practice baby. They had to hold the baby then lay out a blanket, undress it and change the diaper. That was great and you know what - they really enjoyed it. They took right too it. I took several pictures of them changing their babies. And the nurse took one of all of us together. At one point Dallas had his baby standing on it's head either moving the diaper forward or putting the legs back in the sleeper. It was funny! Then they picked them up and held them. I got a picture of that too. I really wish we had a digital camera so I could include the pictures right now but it will have to wait for traditional old developing which probably won't be 'til after the baby comes and we finish up the role.

Like I said, I am SO glad I took them. Dallas told me after we got in the car that now that he went to that he is really excited for the baby to be here and Brendon said he was too. That was so great to hear. We had a really good night.

We used the same babies for breastfeeding class the night before and you know, they were actually pretty heavy. Each baby doll had a bracelet with it's name and weight. Mine last night was 6 lbs, 8 ozs (right near our baby's estimated weight) and I thought man this feels heavy. When I asked the instructor she said they actually probably weigh a couple lbs more because of how they are weighted - all in the body and not in the head and limbs. The boys' babies tonight were both over 8 lbs so they were actually handling like a 10 lb baby.

On the regular baby front, I have my last ob check tomorrow. The day after that (Friday, 12/17/04) will be my last day at work. I decided to take Monday the 20th off since Ken did and we'll need that day to prepare ourselves and to be together. Ken & I - AND all of us as a family.

If I don't post before then, we'll let you all know when baby is here and the particulars on weight and stuff.

Until next time...

Baby's Due Date

clean bill of health

Had our last u/s today. As you know, back in September we had that scare that we could be facing a possible heart or chromosone defect and had a Level 2 ultrasound. That ultrasound was fine for the heart and/or chromosones - they didn't see anything at all. But in one picture they got an enlarged left kidney. So, we've had this 2nd Level 2 ultrasound scheduled since then so that they could check before delivery and know if there was going to be anything they needed to do at delivery. GREAT NEWS...we got a clean bill of health. Nothing at all wrong with the kidneys and although they couldn't get a great look at the heart (baby is where it should be - head down, facing backwards - making it difficult to see) - they agree with the more detailed look back in Sept - no defects! We are right on schedule for everything to progress with no problems.

They estimated the baby's weight at 6 lbs 4 oz and average is 6 lbs 5 oz for 37 weeks. So much for our dr thinking it will be bigger than average. Of course I still have 12 days 'til sched c-section (no counting today as a day anymore) so it will still gain but I think we'll be right in there at 7 - 8 lbs. I think I was saying before that Brendon was like 7 lbs 6 oz and Dallas was like 6 lbs 9 oz.

Speaking of boys...I told the tech if she wanted to triple check the sex she could. There was a moment of silence so I said, "we've already been told a boy...", she interrupted me to say, "I was just going to say I hope you were told a boy". So, it didn't fall off in the last couple months! JUST KIDDING! Yes, I wanted a girl having already had the 2 boys but I love this baby no matter what and I can't wait for him to be here with us.

I'm just so happy that will all the scares and bumps we've had along the way that we are just 12 days away from having our little bundle! YEAH!!!!!!!!

Baby's Due Date

My other shower...

Had my other shower Sunday, thrown by Stacy. Lots of people and tons of stuff. Some of you did way too much (and you know who you are) !

I got all of this:

pacifiers (3 sets)
socks (3 sets)
bottles (4 sets)
bibs (4 sets)
rattles (3 including the 2 on the cake)
receiving blankets (3 sets)
onzies (3 sets)
teether (vibrating even)
Destin
baby shampoo
nightime bath & lotion
sleepers (about 8)
Snoopy diaper bag
nasal aspirator (or "booger getter")
baby nail clippers
bottle/nipple brush
tie (or no sew) baby blanket
My 1st Teddy stuffed animal
diapers (3 packages, size 1)
fleece blanket
night light
sippy cups
wash clothes
t-shirts (not onzies)
feeding spoons
eculyptus/menthol baby wash & lotion
baby powder
wet wipes
Nike sweatsuit
vibrating bouncer seat w/attached toys & blanket

Like I said, a TON of stuff!!

We also finally got the baby's room all cleaned out and Ken & his dad put the crib and changing table together yesterday. While cleaning out that room I came across the curtains my mom made when Brendon was born so we decided to use those so this baby will have the same curtains the boys did when they were babies. We haven't gotten everything put away in there yet because we still need to scrub the walls and decide if we need to paint. Soon though!

Basically though now if we should have this baby early, at least we have everything we need to start. Everything else is just stocking up on extras. What a relief!!! Probably more so for Ken than me since someone would of had to take him shopping if anything had happened before my shower.

The boys have been really funny. They both liked the tie baby blanket Aunt Chris made so now they each want one for themselves. I said we'd see if Aunt Chris would have time to make them each one for Christmas. We went out to Hancock Fabrics today they picked out some Iowa (Hawkeye that is not farmland, cows or pigs or something) fleece material. They'll look cool but ummm - they weren't cheap! They also both have been playing with the vibrating teether Jaci, Mike and Tyler got us. I caught Brendon several times biting on it himself to feel it vibrate. That both actually said they each want one as a stocking stuffer. I'm going to do it as a joke! To top that, I also caught Brendon sitting in the car seat once! They are so funny!

Thanks again to everyone for the generousity, kindness, concern and friendship!

Baby's Due Date

Work Shower Today

They through me a shower at work today. Actually it was a pot luck so we had lots of good food!! I told them all how much I appreciated it even though I caught on that something was up. Hehe! It's really hard to pull off surprises so I relly do appreciate the effort!

So, we ate and played a couple games - had some cake and really awesome punch. Their gift was a money tree and it was so cute because all the money was tied on in bows of pink & blue yarn!!! That money was enough to pay for the swing, car seat and stroller I am getting from Stacy this weekend - with some left over to stock up on diapers or something.

The only thing I have bought is a few sleepers. Well, we did already buy Stacy's crib, changing table and dresser. My mom got us a new mattress then for the crib. My aunt sent up from Missouri a high chair and playpen. So that is a lot of the big stuff out of the way and off the mind!

My other shower is this Sunday. Can't wait to see everyone there and to see all the little precious stuff - this is the fun part - seeing all the cute stuff! Just waiting for the cute baby now!

Baby's Due Date

latest visit...

To the ob that is - not labor & delivery!

Nothing was really has changed...

...I gained a couple more pounds - nothing to fret over.

...the baby is head down now.

...I'm still measuring big so she said she thinks the baby will be bigger than average. That all depends on what average is, huh? Some of the stuff I've read online says 7 1/2 - 8 lbs at term is average but from hearing of friends' and friends of friends' babies birth weights, I really think 9 lbs is average anymore. So, I'm going to split the difference and say this baby will be 9 lbs are so. Maybe we should start a pool?! Some of you can even be brave and still guess girl if you want to! HA.

I had my Group B Strep test today. That was FUN!!! I won't go into details of how and where they take swabs from - that right there should be enough for you anyway. This test, for those that don't know, is now mandatory I believe to make sure a mother doesn't have a building staff infection that the baby could come into contact with at delivery. Staff infections can be dangerous to mother and child, although many times it just means antibiotics right away and possibly a little longer stay in the hospital. It probably won't really pertain to me since I am having a c-section rather than normal delivery but I am still glad they take the precaution.

Let's see...like I said, nothing else really. I go back next Thursday afternoon, the day after we have that next ultrasound, so hopefully we still have a clean bill of health then! Keep your fingers crossed!

Got my shower this weekend. I am SO excited to see all the little baby stuff! It's been hard waiting let me tell you! And we WILL have the baby's room all cleaned out by then to put all the stuff in. That is before Dallas' birthday party Saturday night. Phew - we have a busy weekend. That and a lot to do in the next 3 weeks (or less)!!!

Baby's Due Date

ok - I like this one better...

Still messing around with my tickers. I found a site that only puts the days until so I went with that.

Baby's Due Date

new tickers

Just changed my due date ticker a little and added a new one for the scheduled c-section date - that's only 25 DAYS AWAY!!!!

Baby's Due Date


Baby's scheduled arrival (by c-section)

Oops - didn't realize it would say I was further along that I am, just ignore that and go by the "only ?? days left".

we have a date...

Just got back from the dr a little bit ago and we finally scheduled the c-section date. Neither Ken or I are thrilled with it but it is the earliest she would even consider based on my due to date. So, we are looking at Tuesday, Dec. 21st at 7:30 am (of course we have to be there at 5:00 am).

We really wanted either the 17th or the 20th so we'd be home in time for Christmas but, like I said, she wouldn't consider anything before the 21st. Which as Ken pointed out, we really don't know why she would be a stickler on that when she already said that if anything happened after 34 weeks, they'd go ahead and take the baby. If it's ok to take it now if something unforeseen happens, then why couldn't we fudge the schedule by a couple days?! Who knows?!

Anyway, she says we will get out on the 24th so at least we'll still have Christmas morning with the boys but probably won't be traveling to Worthington to see Ken's parents on Christmas Day like we usually do. We just better make sure we have all our Christmas shopping done by the 20th. Maybe we'll both take that day off for last minute shopping if we need to. HA. Funny, doing last minute shopping - all that walking - is what put me into labor with Dallas. His b-day is Dec. 9th.

But the good news is the boys are still in school through Dec. 22nd so we'll have all day at the hospital before we need to worry about getting them picked up. I told Ken I would have him pick them up at school that day and bring them to the hospital.

Otherwise, everything else is going fine. My weight was up to 14 lbs at my last appt but back down to 10 lbs at this one. She asked me how that happened and I told her my last appt was on my birthday and I'd been snacking ALL DAY LONG!!! Good thing I didn't go in yesterday when I had (4) desserts at our department lunch! (MAN, did I pay for that later!) She said the baby is really growing so we always like to hear that. No estimates on weight or anything and she never says how I'm measuring - except once she did say I'm always measuring bigger.

I go back on the 1st. We have the 2nd Level 2 ultrasound on Dec. 8th to check the baby's kidneys. I'm sure we'll get an estimate on size then - we have at the others. We're still pluggin' away.

Thanks for everyone's care, concern and prayers when they were needed. I can't wait to see this baby! Thanks for everything.

half days...

I am officially on 1/2 days through the end of my pregnancy. That is as of 1:00 am Friday morning when I left labor and deliver.

Dallas and I had gone to Walmart after school conference and within a few minutes my stomach started to hurt really bad. I could barely walk, I doubled over the cart handle a couple times. It hurt to bend or squat (like to pick something up). I got out of there as soon as I could after getting what I actually went for and called my mom on the way out the door to tell her I thought I'd be needing to bring the boys over and go to the hospital. I had picked up their supper so while they ate my plan was to lay down. The old ritual of...empty your bladder, drink 4 large glasses of water, lay on your left side and check for contractions - time them if any.

Really not long after getting home I was feeling better. It no longer hurt to walk or bend but I still laid down. I wasn't having any contractions but I wasn't feeling the baby move either. I had called Ken before I laid down and he was going to be calling to check on me at 8:15 pm break so I needed to decide what I was going to do. I called the hospital. They told me to keep doing what I had been doing, drink like 8 glasses of water, for another hour and call them back. I asked if I could have some apple juice too because I had wanted to do a kick count as well.

If you don't know what a kick count is...if you've haven't felt the baby move for a long time you are supposed to eat or drink something sugary, lay on your left side for one hour and count the kicks. You should feel 4 - 6 kicks in that hour. Once you have felt that many, you can stop counting but if you haven't felt that many in an hour, you are supposed to call you doctor.

Anyway, she said yes, I could throw in a glass of apple juice between my waters. In the 30 minutes following the apple juice I felt maybe 3 faint movements - no hard kicks. I called back and they said I needed more sugar. I was suppose to eat a candy bar and have a pop - Mt Dew. Like I need to be told to eat candy. I had already been using a bag of mint Hersey's Kisses to do kick counts earlier in the week. But we didn't have any pop with sugar. I buy for myself caffeine free diet pop so no kick there. The boys did have some Dr. Pepper but I can't stand it so Ken had to go get me a Mt. Dew. (Oh yeah, he had come home at that point...a little after 9:00 pm).

I called back at 11:00 pm and was only right at the minimum of 4 for the kick count for the hour and, again, they were faint not hard. They told me to come on in and get hooked up to a monitor.
After awhile the baby did really start to move a lot. I had a clicker in my hand that I was supposed to push the button when I felt it move. At one point it had the hiccups so I was clicking a lot then. HA. The nurse I had been talking to on the phone all night was who was checking on me at the hospital too, she came in and said everything was going good but my doctor was actually there for another delivery so she was trying to hold out to grab her from the OR to come see me. I was fine with waiting because if my doctor was right there then I wanted to see her too.

She came in a little before 1:00 am and checked my cervix. I still am not dilated at all which is good - let the baby cook in there a little longer - but she did decide to put me on 1/2 days the rest of the time.

I would love to work those 4 hrs in the afternoon and sleep in each day but since I still have to get the boys off to school, I can't really sleep in so I plan on taking them to school at 7:30 am and going to work from there. I guess my hours then would be something like 8:00 ish to noonish.

The good news is I found out that my secondary disability insurance that I took out a year before we even got pregnant because I knew there was a possibility I'd be off work, will not only pick up the difference in my pay for me working 1/2 time but they'll pay the full benefit of my policy which is $600 a month. WHAT A HUGE RELIEF!! I only have a little 40 hrs of vacation time and if AFLAC didn't kick in, I'd have to supplement this time off with vacation and even at that I would have to take some of it unpaid and we just can't afford that. So, now I will get full pay while working 1/2 days and not have to touch my vacation time. Well, except the 1st week waiting period but some of that falls over my paid holidays for Thanksgiving so I still won't have to use much.

I was supposed to go in for a check today anyway but since I saw my dr last night she told me to call in and reschedule that for Monday or Tuesday. I go then on Tuesday at 1:00 pm. I had asked her about traveling to Ken's aunt & uncle's for Thanksgiving and she said let's wait 'til that appt to decide. I think if as long I don't have any contractions between now and then she will be ok with it and she wants me to be able to lay down in the car. His aunt & uncle live in Elkader which Ken says is about an hour and a half away. I really hope I get to go. I have been looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner for WEEKS. If I can't go to Elkader I am having Thanksgiving someone here in town then because I am soooooooo hungry for it. Any offers? Just kidding.

So, once again, I'll keep you all posted.

another week closer...

Had latest ob check today - going every week now. I had totally forgotten to call in on Monday for the results of my Fetal Fibronectin test. When I realized that last night I figured it must have been negative or else I would have heard and I was right. Each test gives a 2 week window so that means I shouldn't go into labor unforeseen in the next two weeks. It sounded then like she would do the test every two weeks 'til I'm much closer.

Much closer? I figured it out earlier this week if I go the full time and have the scheduled c-section around Dec. 17th like I want, that was about 45 days from that moment. 45 DAYS!!! Are you kidding me? That's nothing! Look how fast a month goes by anymore! Sometimes it still seems like we were just finding out we were pregnant but that was WAY back in April. We'd better get crackin' on the babies room. We did get the computer and desk moved down to the basement yesterday. WE - like I did any of it - HA. That was really the major thing though. Now just a bunch of boxes, another desk, a small dresser, end table, tv stand & tv. Put up the crib, changing table and dresser, buy a mattress for crib. AHHHHH! Well, maybe it will be like with Brendon. The day after we finished the nursery, I went into labor and he was born before midnight that night.

I'm doing fine. No more contractions. In fact because of that she decided not to check my cervix today. She said she wasn't going to disturb anything. I'm still only at 8 lbs gained for the entire pregnancy. She expressed some concern over that but I don't know what to tell her. I am eating!!!

The heart rate today was 148. A little up there again from the majority of the times. We were joking at work about it being twins and the low heartbeat we heard so many times was a boy baby and the higher heart beat we heard in the beginning and now is a girl baby. Just joking though - I would think it would be highly unlikely given the fact that I've had 5 ultrasounds. You'd think they would have seen (2) babies on one of them - especially the transvaginal ones. It was a funny thought though.

Well, I'll continue to keep you all posted.

man, it's been awhile...

I haven't updated forever...too much going on I guess.

Well, let's go back...

Starting with 10/16/04:

This was the day of my PartyLite party. By time I gathered everything up at my mom's, hauled it back in the house and then jumped in cleaning my own house (since everyone else was camped out on the couches either playing video games or talking on the phone) oh I'd say by 5:00 pm I knew something was starting with the baby. I took it easy the rest of the day but from 9:00 - 9:30 pm I was having contractions every 2 minutes. Those subsided but I was still feeling pressure. Still not sure if it was serious enough to go to the hospital but knowing that my ob was upset with me that I hadn't gone in other times, I waited 'til 10:30 - 11:00 pm before I went.

They hooked me up to the monitor and not long after that I started having cramps/contractions - whatever they were. They said nothing was showing up on the monitors but they still gave me a shot to stop the contractions. Why they'd would do that if nothing was showing up I don't know but I suppose it was based on what I was telling them I was experiencing. They sent me home just over 2 hours after I had gotten there.

I rested the rest of the weekend and didn't have any more contractions for days.

So then on 10/21/04:

I had my regularly scheduled ob appt. I told her about my trip to L&D. She talked about repeating the Fetal Fibronectin test but it was too soon. It was to be at least 2 weeks. We talked about the connection of these bouts coming on on the weekends when I've been on my feet more and doing more than I do during the week so she said to stay off my feet as much as possible.

She said every week now that I make it she is just happy as can be with because we just didn't know what would happen with my cervix. It's still closed. She also said that if I go into labor anytime after 34 weeks (2 1/2 weeks from now) they'll just let me go. That's mid-November so I'm kind of resigning myself that we may very likely have a November baby. And actually as long as it's healthy, I'd be TOTALLY ok with that.

So, then I was going good until 10/27/04:

I didn't get a lot of sleep the night before. I swear there was an alien space ship hovering over our house the entire night. There was this loud buzzing noise over our house and eventually it started pounding inside my head. I was awake from that before the alarm went off but was just laying there not wanting to get up either. All of all sudden I felt like I was going to throw up. I turned on my side and soon started having cramps. After a little while I went ahead and got up and the rest of the morning I just didn't feel right. When I would walk my stomach felt different, later it was hard as a rock. Around 9:00 am I started having the pressure and pinching. Right then I told Leslie and Carla (the girl who is filling in for me) that I would probably be going home. I stuck around long enough to get Carla to a point where she'd have something work on the rest of the day. My plan then was to go home and go through the routine for pre-term labor...which is empty your bladder, drink 4 glasses of water and lay on your left side for an hour. If you have 4 or more contractions in an hour - head to the hospital. First Ken & I grabbed a bite to eat then I laid down. Within 10 minutes of my head hitting the pillow I was OUT.

An hour later I woke up though again having the pressure and pinching/cramping. I started my water again and waited. It was like that for about an hour and a half but not real intense or painful so again I didn't go to the hospital. The rest of the night I stayed off my feet and felt better just slow moving.

The next day I felt fine and happen to have an ob appt already scheduled that day - 10/28/04:

I told her how I had felt the day before and she re-did the Fetal Fibronectin test. I won't get the results 'til Monday. She checked my cervix, said it feels the same and that the baby still feels high (hasn't dropped).

So, the advice was basically the same. Stay off my feet as much as possible and go to the hospital if anything happens. I haven't had anything since.

Last night was funny though. When the winds picked up so much around 8:30 or so, he (or she) was moving like crazy. Have you ever heard that women can go into labor when there is a storm - it's the change in the barametric or air pressure?! That was really the first time I was seeing my stomach move around like there was an alien in there. No one else was home so it was just me laying there watching it all.

Hey, did anyone notice that I said he (or she) just then? I've been having thougths sometimes that when we go in for the c-section the baby actually comes out a girl. Maybe I'm just holding on to that a little. BUT a couple weeks ago Ken called out the word "GIRL" in his sleep. It was almost an exclamation, like "GIRL??". HAHA. Also the baby's heartbeat was back up to 152 at my appt Thursday. The last 4 or 5 appts it's been 140 every time. Plus I've got other girl "signs"...carrying high and all in front. I KNOW, I KNOW those are just old wives tales and I know of people who had those signs a certain way and it turned out to be the other but it's fun to toss the ideas around.

So it's day by day. Like I said, I've sort of resigned myself to a November baby so we'll see.

more contractions...

Well, I went back to my ob for an unscheduled visit after having contractions every 3 minutes for a little over an hour through the night Sunday night - from about 12:10 am to 1:30 am. I had gone to bed around 10:00 pm and was awoken suddenly at 12:10 am with these pains. Anyway, I was already laying down but after going to the bathroom, I got a glass of water and laid back down to wait it out. It wasn't 'til I looked up pre-term labor online at work the next morning and saw that any contractions over 4 or 5 in an hour you should call your doctor or be seen. I was still just going to wait and see if contractions started back up on Monday before I did anything until I read that so I went ahead and called my ob. They had me come in.

She checked my cervix and said it still feels closed and tight. The also did this test called Fetal Fibronectin where they take a swab from inside and depending on the results it's an indicator of whether I am likely to deliver early. I found this online at http://www.adeza.com/html/ffn_faq.htm. Fetal fibronectin is a protein that acts as a “glue” to hold the baby in place during the critical time of the baby’s development. Towards the end of pregnancy, fFN leaks (the “glue” begins to break down) into the vagina, which is a sign that delivery may be near. A negative fFN test result means that you are at lower risk of delivering prematurely. So negative is the desired result. Now my doctor said that a positive result wouldn't really tell them anything one way or another but this website says a positive fFN test result means that you have an increased risk of delivering prematurely. And it goes on to say, how you are treated for a positive fFN test is dependent on a number of other factors that you may be experiencing in your pregnancy.

Yesterday she sent me home for the rest of the day to rest. I still felt pressure and pinching throughout the day but nothing anymore intense or consistent. I sleep fine and so far today feel ok. I haven't been up walking around much but I think I am starting to feel some twenges of pressure. It's totally a wait and see thing. I am now suppose to go to the hospital if I have more than 4 contractions in an hour. If my doctor had told me that last week when we decided I was starting to have contractions, I probably would have gone in Sunday night. Otherwise, my thoughts were if it got to be a couple hours or I couldn't go back to sleep then I would go in. Since they subsided and I was able to sleep the rest of the night I thought I was ok. She talked about cutting me back to 1/2 days if necessary but nothing else will be decided either until I have another round of contractions or depending on the test results. She had told me to call back in yesterday afternoon for the results but when I called at the end of the day they didn't have them yet. I'll have to call again this morning.

I've been joking all along about having a Thanksgiving baby instead of a Christmas baby but I never thought Halloween would play into it. HA. But no, that's not going to happen, we are going to keep this baby in as long as possible. My mom asked me last night if I was far enough along for the baby to survive if it were born now or soon. I told her survive, yes, but it would probably be in the hospital for a while. The main thing with preemies is that their lungs aren't fully developed. I would think if the contractions continue or I end up on bedrest they may start the steriod injections that are available to help develop the baby's lungs. Otherwise, the estimates or averages of the baby's size at 28 weeks (which I will be 29 weeks tomorrow) is 14 inches from head to toe and roughly 3 lbs. Our last ultrasound estimated the baby at 1 lb, 12 oz but that was a month ago so 3 lbs or more even seems right.

I'll be updating here as we go.