Almost There

I turn 38 weeks tomorrow, and I have reached that magical time in pregnancy where I just want this baby OUT of my body.  My c-section is scheduled for August 8 (the very earliest they would let me schedule it...the day I turn 39 weeks).  Although I'm having lots of false contractions, I'm not having any that would make any sort of progress or changes.  I guess that's good since I don't really want to be in labor and then have to have a c-section anyway. My doctor is also on vacation and won't be back at work until the day before my c-section.  She and I have been through two c-sections together already, and I'd rather have her with me than whoever is on call.

We are all excited to meet Isaac! It's a little surreal, at the same time, that we are adding a baby to our family next week! We are ready. Or as ready as we'll ever be. ;-)

So, until next week we're going for sno cones several times a week, trying to get as much sleep as possible (difficult), anticipating Justin's mom arriving this Saturday (yay!), and trying to stay cool inside.

Less than 4 days!

Yes, we'll be having a baby in less than 4 days. It's hard to believe, really. I'm definitely looking forward to meeting Levi and not being pregnant anymore. This morning in church, I think everyone was cold except for me; I was fanning myself. And I didn't drink enough water before church, so I wasn't feeling very well by the time it was over. Usually I take a bottle of water with me but didn't today.

We're still trying to get things done before our little one arrives. I've got to order a cake for Caleb's birthday on Wednesday. I could bake it myself, but I'm not going to, so we'll go with what's easiest for me at this point. :-) Then my parents and grandmothers will be coming into town on Wednesday for the birthday celebration and "the big day" on Thursday. It'll be here before we know it.

When Levi does make his appearance (and at this point I hope it's when he's scheduled because we really don't need any drama), my sister will update all of you here.

8 Days and Counting

Yes, I'm counting down the days until this child leaves my body and is welcomed into the world! Tomorrow I'll have my last prenatal appointment. YAY!!! At last week's appointment, my doctor said Levi was not going to be coming out anytime soon. Oh, and I had gained TWO POUNDS in one week. I've gained another two pounds this week according to our bathroom scale. After months and months of non-existent or minimal weight gain, it's a little disconcerting to have gained 4 pounds in the last two weeks. When my doctor assured me early on that I'd gain the weight at the end, she wasn't kidding! But I guess two pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight is nothing to complain about, right?

So, I'm trying to get stuff done in the next week that I won't be up for after next Thursday.

Do any of you c-section moms have any advice on what to bring to the hospital and/or what helped with your recovery? (i.e. what to wear at the hospital, nursing pillow, etc.)

The Child Has a Mind of His Own

Apparently Levi cannot make up his mind whether or not he wants to come out yet. We went back to the hospital today. I was having contractions at home 8-10 minutes apart for a couple of hours. Of course, once we got to the hospital, they became almost non-existent and erratic and they weren't doing a thing toward dilation. So, we're home again. Since this child is determined not to be anything like his brother, this is all a new experience for me. I didn't even have very many Braxton-Hicks contractions with Caleb, so this one is giving me a run for my money! How many times can you go to the hospital before you get to take home a baby??? :-)

I won't be going back until my contractions are 5 minutes apart and I can barely breathe. Then I'll know it's for real!

My doctor said to come home and take it easy for the rest of the day. Yeah, right. My parents left after we got home, and then Caleb refused to take a nap. I tried fruitlessly for 1 hour and 45 minutes to get the child to lay down and sleep, to no avail. So, "take it easy" isn't really applicable for people who have toddlers at home.

I think I jinxed myself...

So, when I said that I'd probably not go into labor on my own, I apparently was wrong. I felt really bad all day Saturday and woke up Sunday with back and abdominal pain, so I went to the hospital. I was having contractions and am dilated to 2cm. They gave me some medicine to stop the contractions since I'm only 36 weeks. I stayed there ALL DAY on the very uncomfortable labor and delivery bed waiting to see if the medicine was going to stop the contractions. It did, and they sent me home about 9pm last night.

Justin and I were taken by surprise that I was already having contractions. Apparently the baby listened when I said, "anytime after your Daddy gets home, feel free to come out!" :-) Ideally the baby won't come until I'm at least 37 weeks (this Wednesday) so he'll have more time to mature, especially since boys have a little harder time being born early (lung maturity and all). We still haven't fully decided on a middle name, which we spent some time at the hospital talking about yesterday. And today we've been getting the infant car seat out of the attic and packing everyone's bags. This baby is making his own way!

I'm not feeling well again today. My back is hurting really bad, but I don't think I'm having contractions. Since I was induced with Caleb, I never experienced early labor pains, so it's hard for me to distinguish between normal "uncomfortableness" and true labor pains. Because I'm a c-section patient, they don't want me laboring for very long. If I do start having contractions again, they'll go ahead and do the c-section.

I think I'm going to call them later today if I'm not feeling better and at least let them check again. I thought I was ready for him to be born, but now I have to mentally prepare! ;-)

Pray for Levi to be mature enough physically to come out whenever he's ready.

36 Week Check-Up

As for the reunion...I'm blogging because Justin is at work today. I know. Can we just have a moment of silence for the absurdity of the fact that he was gone for a month and has to work today? But, we are having a baby in a couple of weeks, and he needs to save his vacation days. He has to work a certain number of hours per week or he has to use his vacation time (plus he has a ton of stuff to do after being gone). Oh well. He'll be home tonight. That's a good thing!

I had my check-up a couple of days ago, and things are still going well. I had gained one pound over the two weeks, so now I'm at -2 overall. Not too bad. :-) At this point, I weigh 14 pounds less than I did when I gave birth to Caleb, and I started out this pregnancy heavier than I started his. (And it's not because I've been neglecting my ice cream cravings or Little Debbie snacks, either!) I told the doctor after I have this baby I'll probably end up losing weight for the pregnancy. She said I would and with a good-sized baby, too. I guess this is the benefit of all the months of losing my lunch (and breakfast and dinner). I'll take what I can get.

My c-section is scheduled for 3 weeks from today. Not that I'm counting down or anything. ;-) If I go into labor on my own before then, they will go ahead and take the baby right then, as long as I'm 37 weeks. Since I'll be 37 weeks next Wednesday, we don't have to worry too much. If I go into labor this week, they will try to stop labor, and I'm sure they'll give me the steroid to mature the baby's lungs. If my pregnancy with Caleb is any indication, we really don't need to worry about me going into labor before my scheduled date.

My doctor hasn't tried to "guess" how big this baby will be yet, but I think he's at least as big as his brother was (7lbs 10oz). He's been under my ribs much more than Caleb ever was, and he's definitely an active little guy.

Justin, being the good daddy that he is, bought both Caleb and Levi little stuffed white tigers from the Singapore Night Safari. Caleb ran into Levi's room and put Levi's tiger in his bed for him. Justin was smart to buy two of exactly the same toy so they'll be no squabbling about whose is better. Not that I know any siblings who ever squabbled about such silly matters. :-)

Well, my sister is officially moving tomorrow. I'm sure we'll be busy all weekend helping them unpack and get settled. Not that I'll be much help, but I can sit down and unpack a box with the best of 'em!

Have a great Labor Day weekend!

An Attempt At An Update

I'm so tired I can hardly form coherent thoughts lately, but I'll try to write something so when my mom clicks over here, she sees something new (and all of you as well). Literally, my brain is so mushy I can't have a conversation without saying, "what's that word...?" :-) I don't know why pregnant women can't sleep well; it just seems mean because I'm not going to be sleeping at all in a month, so I need all I can get now.

So, here's what's going on over here in bullet form. As I mentioned above, narrative form would just be too hard right now.

• I'm not sleeping. ::sigh::
• I'm READY for my husband to come home NOW. Thankfully, we have less than a week left.
  
• I'm having Braxton-Hicks contractions like crazy. Every time I stand up, my belly gets rock hard. It's not painful, but pretty uncomfortable.
• I told Levi that as soon as his daddy gets home, he's free to make his appearance at any time. Scheduled c-section or not. I'm READY.
• My sister and I have had several conversations about how she never reached this stage of pregnancy where she was uncomfortable all the time and was ready to NOT be pregnant. It's because she had a FOUR-POUND BABY. In JANUARY.
• I'm not one of those women who really enjoys being pregnant. I just don't feel good when I'm pregnant, especially at this stage. My mom and my sister both say they missed being pregnant after they had their babies. I do not feel that way.
• Caleb is watching way too much TV lately since it's stinking hot outside, and, well, all the reasons above.
• He can officially count to ten now. It freaked out the nursery worker at church a couple of weeks ago. She was like, "who's counting?" since all the kids in there are between 1 and 2 years old.
• Since his daddy has been gone, Caleb has cut two teeth and become quite the little sassy-pants. He's gotten in trouble lately for telling me "NO" when asked to do something. And one of his favorite words is "mine," said in a sassy little way. I've tried hard not to even say that around him; I don't know where he picked it up. I wish it would go away.

When I summon more brain power, I'll try to write something more interesting and maybe even more uplifting. Let's all hope!

Belly Pics--33 Weeks

This baby is definitely growing! Justin saw me on the webcam the other day and said my belly looked bigger than it did when he left (of course, pregnancy is the only time he would say that!!). It has grown quite a bit in the last two weeks, and you can really tell by looking at the picture from four weeks ago.

33 weeks:

29 Weeks:

17 Weeks:

30-Week Check-Up

I took Caleb with me to my doctor's appointment today, so I'm tired. :-) The nurse asked how old he was and then said, "Wow, you have your hands full." Yep, thanks for noticing!

Everything is still looking good. I didn't gain any weight, again, but the doctor isn't concerned because my belly is measuring well (32 cm) and the baby's heart rate is very good (140). She said I'll probably come out of this pregnancy feeling better than I went in--YAY for me! She does expect me to gain weight at the end, though, which I'm fine with since I'm still at -6 pounds for this pregnancy at 30 weeks pregnant.

Oh, and I passed my gestational diabetes testing with flying colors so I don't have to endure the 3-hour test!!!

I guess that's about it. Things are pretty routine now; I'm going every two weeks for the next 6 weeks and then every week. She said we might be able to schedule my surgery at my next visit, so I'm looking forward to getting some things nailed down and schedules synchronized.

*I hesitated to post this, but our little family is really going to need some prayers soon. Justin's going overseas for a month very soon. (I have really good neighbors, two dogs, and an alarm system, so crazy people stay back!) He was gone for most of my first pregnancy, but I didn't have a toddler to take care of back then! Would you say a prayer for us during the month of August? And please pray that this baby does not decide to come early because his daddy just wouldn't make it back in time!*

Belly Pic-29 Weeks

17 weeks:

29 weeks:

I had Justin take another picture of me yesterday. They don't do justice to how big my belly is getting. The shirt and skirt I'm wearing sort of hide things.

Doctor's Orders

I had my check-up today, which lasted WAY longer than normal because my doctor got called into an emergency c-section right after they called me back! We were the ones making everyone wait 2 years ago, so I didn't mind so much.

I didn't gain any weight this month, so that's still a -7 overall. She's not worried and said I'll gain it eventually after my body recovers from all the months of losing. The baby is growing well and everything else looks good.

I hurt my back sometime last week and have been having bad spasms off and on since then. She ordered me to get a pregnancy massage. Bummer, huh? Actually, she said I'll probably need more than one for them to work out the kinks. I can't argue with that!

22-Week Check-up and Ultrasound

I had my check-up and ultrasound today. Good news...I gained 2 pounds! The doctor said this is the first time she's seen me that I haven't had major ketones on my urine test, a sign of hyperemesis. She thinks we've turned the corner. Thank the Lord!

The ultrasound confirmed we are definitely having a boy! He looks great and was really playing around for us. In the picture below, you can see him punching his mommy. ;-) (He's lying on his back, his head is on the right side, and his arm is extended.)


This is a picture of his whole body; again, his head is to the right and he's lying on his back:


And here's a picture of his face. These pictures always freak me out a little because you just see the skeleton of the face, but here it is anyway. :-) That's an arm or shoulder right below his face. (Turn your head to the side to see it!)


Well, we're getting on a plane tomorrow morning. Lots to do before then! Caleb is excited to see his Mimi, Grandad, and Uncle Josh (and so are we!). I'll be back here in about a week.

Looking Up

I hate to be overly optimistic, but I haven't had to take a nausea pill today, and I've kept down two normal-sized meals. That's definitely a vast improvement over the last couple of weeks. I even drove today (the first time since Saturday) so Caleb and I could go to Target and buy our neighbors a baby gift. And I'm cooking them dinner tomorrow, so you know things are better around here. It's about time.

I've been listening to this song a lot lately. I love it. I feel like God has been holding my life in His hands lately, and I've just been laying there. I'm so grateful. Enjoy.

A baby brother for Caleb

That's right...it's a boy!

My official ultrasound isn't scheduled until May 22, in which I will make them verify that information, but when I went to the hospital last week they did an ultrasound. My sister was with me since Justin was on a plane and my parents had not arrived yet. The technician asked me if I knew the sex of the baby. I told her I didn't. She asked me if I wanted to know, and I said, "Yes and no. My husband is not here and he would kill me if I found out before he did." (Wasn't that sweet of me? I think I showed a lot of restraint, don't you?) So she printed out a picture, and my sister sealed it in an envelope so we could open it when Justin returned last Saturday. My sister knew the whole time and was sworn to secrecy. My dad tried hard to coax it out of her, but she held the info tight.

I really thought it was a girl (as did the rest of my family) because this pregnancy has been so different than my last one. But, it is obviously a boy. We're excited that Caleb will have a brother so close in age to him. He's already saying "baby budder," although he has no idea what it means. It's cute.

So now we're discussing names. It's not easy. We had a really hard time deciding on Caleb's name, and both times I've had several girl names that I really liked. And I'm really picky. I prefer one that can't be shortened, means something significant, is not trendy, isn't the name of someone either of us has bad memories of, and I'm partial to Biblical names. So, with those criteria, feel free to suggest a name. :-)

One day this won't be a pregnancy blog...

This blog has been hijacked by a very sick pregnant girl. I'm hoping she's replaced by a very happy, able to eat anything she wants pregnant girl soon. :-)

I haven't had internet access at my parent's house for days now because of the weather, hence the lack of posting. Which could also be attributed to the nausea. And taking care of Caleb, who's been sick. All have prevented me from updating you guys since I got out of the hospital.

I'm staying with my parents this week while Justin's out of the country. Saturday and Sunday were still pretty bad days; I could only keep cereal down. I called the doctor on Monday and they said I could take the nausea pills every 4-6 hours instead of the recommended 8 because they weren't working at all. Right now I'm just functioning from nausea pill to nausea pill. I don't dare skip one yet. I'm still not able to eat much and nothing really sounds good. I'm eating a lot of cereal still and popsicles. I try to eat some fruit and other healthy stuff as I think I feel like it, but I usually don't get very far. I ruled out going to restaurants since every time I do, I lose my dinner in the bathroom. I'd rather take my chances in the privacy of my own home. :-)

We had to take Caleb to the doctor here on Monday because he wouldn't eat (he would just cry when he put food in his mouth) and wouldn't sleep. This momma and his Grandma were/are very tired from waking up multiple times a night with him! He has a really bad case of thrush. He's doing a lot better with the medicine they gave him and is finally sleeping through the night again. If it's not one thing it's 20 around here! (the dog is sick, too. *sigh*)

So, pretty much all I can think about these days is keeping Caleb occupied (which is easier said than done since it's been raining for days and he can't go outside) and trying to force any amount of food down my throat (and pray it stays there).

I hope one day soon to be back to "normal" and talking about something other than being sick. I know y'all are tired of hearing it, but this blog is functioning as my pregnancy journal for now. In a couple of years when I decide I want another child, I can look back at these posts and decide if that's really what I want to do! I told Justin when I was pregnant with Caleb that if we had any more children, they would have to come from his body. I now remember why I said that, and I wasn't nearly as sick that time as I am this time (and it ended about 6 weeks ago with Caleb!). I'm sure I'll conveniently forget all of this in the months to come; that mommy amnesia is pretty strong once you're holding your baby in your arms! ;-)

Until then, I have 2 1/2 more hours before the next nausea pill and Caleb is laying quietly in his bed, so I'm off to lay on the couch!

(Oh, I'm feeling the baby move a lot these days! It's finally big enough for me to feel the movements, and that is definitely a blessing!)

Home

Thanks for all your prayers! And thanks, Holly, for keeping Caleb for me at the last minute; you're a great friend!!

I just got home from the hospital (it's 8:30pm). They put me on IV fluids and gave me a couple of shots of Zofran in the IV to help with the nausea. I do feel better...thank goodness. They ran some blood work and did an ultrasound just to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with my placenta. Everything was fine, and I got an early peek at the baby!! :-)

I wasn't able to eat much at the hospital, but I was able to keep some food down, so that's an improvement! They put me on a new nausea medicine that melts on my tongue because I kept throwing up the other one.

It's been a crazy day. My poor husband is somewhere over the Pacific Ocean praying for me and probably worrying himself silly.

I'm off to bed early tonight, and hoping that tomorrow is nausea-free. :-)

Please Pray

I can't stop throwing up. My sister is taking Justin to the airport right now because he's leaving for Singapore today. I told God I couldn't do this today. I did sleep last night, but I've been throwing up since last night and I haven't had anything on my stomach since yesterday.

Please, please pray that this goes away or they can figure out what's wrong. I just can't do this much longer. My doctor's office opens in a few minutes, so I'm going to give them a call.

Update: I'm headed to the hospital for IV fluids once my sister gets back from the airport.

17-week check-up

Well, my doctor is officially concerned about my weight loss. I lost 3 pounds since my last visit, and at almost 18 weeks, that's not good. She's checking my thyroid levels again (I have hypothyroidism) because if they bounce around, that can make me nauseous (apparently). She also said people with a history of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can have some acid reflux issues, so she wants me to take a Pepcid AC before every meal to help minimize the acid. I hope it helps!

On a happier note, the baby's heart rate is good and my belly is growing like it should. Everything with the baby is good so far. My next appointment is May 22, which will be my ultrasound and we'll find out if we're having a girl or a boy. We haven't even discussed names yet. Actually, I should be more clear. I keep trying to bring it up, but Justin doesn't want to talk about names yet. When we had Caleb, we had a girl's name and a boy's name picked out before the ultrasound. Justin thought we were having a girl (which was news to me) and really liked our girl name. When we found out we were having a boy, he couldn't live with the name we had picked out. So, I guess he's just trying to be safe and decide on a name after we have it firm in our minds whether we're expecting a son or a daughter. I can live with that. :-)

And So I Thought It Was Over...

Apparently when I wrote on my pregnancy calendar last week, "nausea gone," someone was laughing because that definitely would not be the end of it. Yesterday was B.A.D. Maybe my body thought I had some toxins that needed to be purged. I'm pretty sure we accomplished that. I have a check-up today, so we'll see what the doctor says. At some point I need to start gaining weight; so far I have only lost (almost 20 pounds in the last 4 months). I know some women experience nausea throughout pregnancy and many have it much worse than I do, so it could be much worse.

I have medicine for nausea, but I don't take it often because I don't feel nauseous until there is food in front of me or in my mouth. I usually start eating normal meals and end up with a bowl of cereal, which is the only thing that always goes down well. The food aversions are still very strong. When I was pregnant with Caleb, I felt bad until about 13 weeks and then magically I had energy and could eat whatever I wanted without feeling sick.

Yesterday, thankfully, my dad was in town and was able to come over until Justin could get home from work. What a husband I have...he cancelled a meeting and came home mid-morning to take care of me! He also did all the dishes and took Caleb out to dinner so I could rest some more. I couldn't ask for anything more!

I'm ready to start feeling better so I can make the trip to see my niece. My sister reminded me that I haven't seen her since she was 5 weeks old, and she's 13 weeks now. I'm kind of a sorry excuse for an aunt right now!

Here's a picture we took on Saturday. It's not a great shot, but it's my first belly pic for this pregnancy.


If you compare that to this horrid picture we took in Hawaii in December (where I was showing off the souvenir mud from our lovely hike), you can tell how much weight I've lost, especially in my face.


My sister, who for at least the last ten years has weighed less than me, let me borrow some of her maternity clothes (the ones that were the right season) At the beginning of this pregnancy, I couldn't fit into a single pair of her pants because they were too small, but since I have this nifty weight-loss plan, they are fitting great.

A Sweet Friend

Yesterday I had the privilege of meeting with a sweet friend of mine for about an hour at my house. I asked her to come over and talk because I was in need of some encouragement. She's got about 12 years on me and 14+ years of parenting 3 kids, and I needed to hear from someone who's been in the "trenches" with small ones and has come out on the other side. I admire this friend so much because of her devotion to God's Word and her sweet spirit.

She cut right to the point and said, "How can I help you?" What a blessing. She listenened to me recount all I've been feeling lately (physical and otherwise), and offered great advice. Everything she said was something I already knew, but I needed to hear it all again. (Actually it's stuff you've all been saying, too, but it helps to have someone face-to-face saying, "It's OKAY! You're not SuperMom and Caleb will survive all of this!")

This morning that same friend emailed me and said she could go to the grocery store for me today if I needed that.

I love this friend because I know that she will always ask me if I've been in God's Word. She will always be encouraging to me and love on me and be straight with me.

Thank you all for your amazing support. God has been sending people to this blog to encourage me and pray for me, and I couldn't be more grateful for that. As much as I hate to ask for help, I've needed it lately.

I may be one of the last people to find out Beth Moore and her daughter, Amanda, have a blog, but I've been so blessed by what they've written there. Yesterday, Beth posted about being a young mom and the power of other moms in her life. It's worth a read.