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Maternity & Parenting Center

Mixed Emotions

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Today we had our 40 week OB appointment. They were very backed up, so we did have quite a wait to be seen. Chris, the midwife who delivered Micah (and who has been on maternity leave since February) was on duty, and it was great to see her!

I was initially hooked up to the NST (non-stress test) machine…and once again, Twoey was sleeping and not moving so much. Her heartbeat was not jumping around as it is supposed to – it was just very steady. I had Elliot go get me some apple juice, and luckily, she started to cooperate. Even better, my contractions returned and we got them recorded as well.

Shortly thereafter, Chris came in to see us. She was very kind, and talked to me about my situation. Naturally, we immediately began to discuss induction. I talked about my fears and she said she understood. She did say she felt that simply breaking my water would likely do the trick at this point, but she could understand why I would be concerned. Initially, she recommended waiting until 42 weeks to induce me (2 weeks from yesterday – July 6), but as we looked at the calendar and she reviewed my file, she waffled. Her concern was that I am flagged as a “possible” case of gestational diabetes (because I failed the 1 hour glucose test) and they generally do not like to allow people with gestational diabetes to go beyond 41 weeks. She suggested setting an induction for the end of next week – when I am 41 1/2 weeks (July 1 or 2). As we looked at the calendar for Thursday and Friday, we realized several things: 1) the midwife I dislike (Karen) is on duty those days and would be doing the induction; 2) that would put me in the hospital over the weekend when we do not have daytime childcare coverage for Micah; and 3) it is a holiday weekend (4th of July).

The more we spoke, the more we leaned towards doing the induction earlier in the week – on Tuesday or Wednesday (when the other midwife we like, Angel, is on call). On Wednesday, Angel is only on call until 6 pm. Our concern was that if simply breaking my water does not work, I could end up with needles, and that would like happen during the nighttime when the Karen (who is far less sympathetic) would take over. So, we decided that we would induce on Tuesday so we could guarantee which midwife would deliver Twoey.

After we tentatively set the induction, she checked me. I’m still 3-4 centimeters dilated and 80% (or more) effaced and the baby’s head was nice and low (and pressing on my cervix). She said she really thought a few good contractions should kick me into labor, and she gave breaking my water a 75% chance of succeeding. We talked about all the “natural” induction techniques…walking, raspberry leaf tea, evening primrose oil, castor oil, black cohosh, pineapple, etc. She stripped my membranes AGAIN (not as uncomfortable this time) in the hopes it would stir things up. She said I should come back in again on Monday and have my membranes stripped one more time before the induction…or if I change my mind, I can postpone the induction on Monday and reschedule.

I really would like to have this baby…and sooner rather than later. I guess I’m hoping she decides to come on her own so that I don’t have to think about induction options. The whole thought of induction just really terrifies me.

Twoey’s 38 week appointments

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Today was appointment day…we took Twoey for her ultrasound and biophysical profile this morning, and she passed with flying colors! She was moving and breathing well, and we did get a few photos I will try to scan and share. Twoey has been very low – it used to be that her face was even with the placenta, but now she has descended so much that the placenta is even with her belly.

This afternoon, we met with the midwife. This was one of my favorite midwives, and today was her last day with the practice. So, she will definitely NOT be delivering Twoey. The good news is that the midwife who delivered Micah will be covering hospital hours over the next few weeks, so she may be delivering Twoey! I like one of the other two midwives on call – the third one is not so friendly, though.

As for my appointment, at 38 weeks, my belly is measuring 34 weeks…and shrinking. I haven’t put on any weight, and I’ve been having horrible nausea again. The contractions are pretty regular, but I don’t seem to be making any progress. I’m about 2 cm dilated and 70-80% effaced, so no real progress from last week. I’m pretty disappointed. She didn’t think it was a good time to strip my membranes – she did stretch my cervix to hope to stir things up. I had to be hooked up to the machines for an NST (non-stress test) and little Miss Twoey flunked at first. I had to stay hooked up a while longer – they eventually let me go (because she was being cooperative this morning), but all she wanted to do was sleep this afternoon.

I really hope things start to move – I’m so uncomfortable right now with all the contractions, and I’m starting to worry that I won’t go into labor on my own (side effect of those stupid progesterone shots I had to take). Inductions require needles, and I really don’t want to go that route. So…hope little Miss Twoey decides to make an appearance. My only thought is that she is holding out for June 15 – the one day I didn’t want her to arrive because it is my brother’s birthday, my parents’ anniversary, and every few years it is also Father’s Day!

We had a really good day with Micah today – he seems much less grumpy, he napped well, and he went to bed easily. Hopefully a good sign!

Too much going on

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I haven’t been up for posting much lately – I have so much swirling around in my head, and I don’t exactly know where to begin. I think I’m just a bit overwhelmed with all that is going on right now. I think I’m feeling a bit out of control…as my mom says, when man plans, G-d laughs. I think G-d is having quite a good chuckle at my expense this week.

Ironically, I spent most of this pregnancy expecting (and worrying about) pre-term labor. I’m officially 37 weeks pregnant right now, and we are “out of the woods” so to speak. Now, I think my biggest fear is that this baby will stay put forever and I’ll be overdue! I’ve been doing everything I can to clean the house and be prepared. We finally dug all the junk out of our bedroom and the house is about as in-order as it will be. I arranged for child care for Micah when I go into labor, we’ve got our birth plan in place and I’ve got our schedule all written out.

Unfortunately, yesterday a wrench was thrown into my plans…and a whole new worry fell on my plate. My mom was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance yesterday afternoon, and they still do not know what is wrong. She was nauseated and sick and it just wouldn’t stop. It came on suddenly – I was on the phone with her only an hour or two before making plans with her to come join us for dinner. I was extremely worried because it is not like my mom to call an ambulance – I knew she must have been horribly sick to go in an ambulance.

When she arrived at the hospital, they were concerned about a virus or an infection initially, so I’ve been unable to go visit her (she was actually placed in isolation). Since yesterday, they seem to have ruled out any infections, but they do not know exactly what is wrong. One theory is a drug interaction…she started a new medication a few weeks ago, and it might be causing all of this sickness. The only other theory on the table right now seems to be a problem called gastroparesis. I’ve looked into this online (and called a few doctor friends) and this does NOT appear to be good news. It is incurable, and the long-term prognosis is pretty scary. Most of the medications and options are only “temporary” fixes. I’m worried and scared because I *need* my mom to be around a very long time, and I want her to continue to enjoy a full and quality life.

So, on top of all the worries about my mom and her long-term well-being, I am having an immediate selfish reaction, too. I want my mom to be there with me when I give birth. She was such a huge help during labor last time, and I want her to be there right away to meet her newest granddaughter – and right now, she can’t be there. I just know that I will go into labor when she is out of commission, and I’m a bit worried about doing all of this without her (and I also don’t want her to miss out, either, because I know she wants to be a part of it all). I know that I will have Elliot there, but it really was a 2-person effort (okay, 3 counting the midwife) to get me through the last time. I also feel better knowing that after I deliver, my mom will be there with my Dad in the evenings to feed Micah and put him to bed.

Now I’m torn – I’m physically ready to have this baby, but I kind of want her to hang in a bit longer in the hope that my mom can recover and be there. Today was my 37 week appointment. I am over 70% effaced and 1-2 cm dilated. The baby has dropped (she did not say what station, but the baby is much lower and engaged). My belly is now measuring at 34 weeks (down 1 cm from last week). I’ve been spotting like crazy all day and having contractions. It kind of hurts for me to stand because of all the pressure. I also received some bad news at the appointment – I tested positive for Group B Strep :(. That means they would like to recommend that I take IV antibiotics during labor. I’m very torn – the studies about the benefits of IV antibiotics are mixed. It is the standard recommendation, and part of me knows that it would be better for the baby to take the antibiotics. But…I just don’t know that I can do the IV because of my phobia. We are talking to the midwives to see if they will prescribe a course of oral antibiotics for me to start taking now. It is not the recommended course, but I would feel like it was a fair compromise. I tend to have short labors – the greatest risk for spreading infection is longer labor, and I barely had 6 hours from when my water broke to when Micah was born the last time around. Something else for me to worry about, right?

I’m still worried about how to deal with 2 children, and our child care situation for next year, and how we can balance all that is going on with our home renovations. We are supposed to be putting my condo on the market this week – I sure hope it sells quickly and that we are able to break ground quickly, move without incident, and get a 3 bedroom place before Twoey outgrows our bedroom. I’m having a hard time seeing how everything is going to fall into place.

I also have to take the dog back to the vet tomorrow. Her heart condition has been deteriorating. We increased her dosage of lasix in the hope that the congestion in her lungs would improve. While I’ve noticed some improvement, she has been waking in the mornings with a cough and she has been breathing heavily. I do not think the vet is going to be able to reduce her medication as we had hoped, and I see another visit to the cardiologist in our future. I wish I knew when we could fit all of this into our crazy life.

I guess on a more upbeat note, I thought I’d share a few stories about Micah. His new favorite pasttime is to put cereal (or fruit) on his eyes. He just takes the food and mushes it in there, and then he laughs! I’ve been working on teaching him some new “phrases.” I’ve been teaching him to respond “me” (and point to himself) when I ask him “Who is cute?” He seems to get the concept…but our exchange goes more like this….”Micah, who is cute?” “Neee.” Yes, Micah says “nee” instead of “me.” I’ve noticed some other signs of growth – he actually lets me wipe his nose without any complaints anymore! In fact, he’ll show me he needs his nose wiped, or I can say “Micah, come here and let mommy wipe your nose” and he’ll walk right over and let me do what I need to do. I’ve also been amazed by the way he handles a sippy cup – he’ll spin it around until he finds the right angle (right side up). I love watching him twirl the cup around in a circle until he find the perfect position! Another funny story…Elliot was dressing Micah the other morning. I had given him the clothes and walked into the kitchen to clean up after breakfast. I glanced over at the two of them…and had to point out to Elliot that I usually prefer to take the pajamas OFF before dressing him! We had a good laugh over that. Finally, our latest challenge has been tempertantrums. Micah is definitely entering the terrible twos. We are finding meal time particularly difficult. He will throw a fit and chuck his food on the floor. I cannot decide if he throws a fit because we let him get too hungry, or if it is because he has very specific wants and we just keep guessing wrong. Either way, it has made meal time a bit of a challenge. Sometimes, it is as simple as giving him the WHOLE pancake instead of cutting it up. Other times, we have to just give up and give him fruit. I hope things get easier.

We have had a few incidents with “aggressive behavior” from Micah. Apparently, he bit another child at daycare on Friday. I think some of his behavior has a lot to do with his lack of language – he gets frustrated and does not know how to express it. I am working on his language and trying to teach him appropriate behaviors. I hope that we can get through this phase soon. If anyone has any suggestions, I’m happy to listen! I’m also a bit concerned about some of these behaviors because of our family history with ADD. I think later this summer I am going to take Micah to get evaluated. I do not think we’ll get any type of diagnosis at such a young age, but I’m hoping maybe the doctor can give me some good techniques for managing his behavior and pointing him in a better direction.

Okay – I guess that is all I’ve got right now. Keep your fingers crossed that everything falls into place and works out better than I have planned. Also, a little good news about my mom tomorrow would be great, too.

Crazy Day

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Wow…I’m exhausted. Micah woke up on the late side yesterday, and we did a mad dash to get hi to his art class before daycare…only to find out they canceled the class and forgot to tell us. We dropped him at daycare and came home. We got a bit of work done, but then we ran out to go to my condo to work on getting it ready for sale next week. We spent about an hour cleaning things out, then went to my my midwife appointment. The baby was doing well – I’m still 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced (or so). I was hoping for some more progress, but no such luck! I think she will be staying put for a little while longer. My belly was measuring around 35 weeks (I never got bigger than that with Micah). They did my group B strep test…let’s hope it comes back negative!

After the appointment, we came home. I finished putting a few things away, got a bit more work done, and then the architect and the builder came by. We talked about the new bid, finalized a few other pieces of information – and now we wait for a formal written bid (hopefully to come in on Monday). If the bid comes back as promised, we are all set to move forward and get these renovations on the road! Right after our meeting, Elliot ran out to pick Micah up from daycare. He did not nap at all yesterday, so cranky does not even begin to describe Micah’s mood last night. He was really difficult all through dinner, and we finally gave in and just put Sesame Street on for an hour before taking him upstairs for a bath and bedtime.

Micah woke a bit on the early side this morning (just before 8). He was still pretty cranky through breakfast, unfortunately. The babysitter, Christin, arrived at 9:00, and she helped keep him calm and get him dressed. My father showed up around 9:45 – it was the first day of the new semester of his Kidville classes, and unfortunately, I screwed up and scheduled an ultrasound during class. I wanted to go with Micah and Christin to show her the ropes, but I just couldn’t be in two places at once. My father volunteered to come down and go in with them so she would not have to do it on her own. Apparently, they had a great time – my father left the first class for a bit to run errands, but he was a huge help getting them down there and all settled into class.

While they were in class, Elliot and I went for the ultrasound. Twoey looked great…she is still head down. She was measuring at about 35 weeks (same as Micah at this point). They guestimated her weight at around 5 lbs 15 ozs (which I think is a bit smaller than they predicted for Micah at this point). I think she is going to be small like Micah. They confirmed a whole lot of hair again, too, so I think we are going to have another baby with crazy hair! She passed her biophysical profile with flying covers, scoring a perfect 8/8.

We made it home around 11:30. We scheduled Micah for back-to-back classes, so they did not come home until about 12:30. My father left and went about his day, and Christin fed Micah lunch. Our organizer, Leslie, showed up here around 12:00 – I immediately took her upstairs to help me finish digging out the bedroom. In the corner of the bedroom, I’ve had one last box that I never unpacked after we moved in, and a pile of a few other things. Since I gave up my office when we moved here, I don’t really have a place to store all of my papers and business items. Unfortunately, they’ve been getting a bit unwieldy. We sorted the box, sorted all of my papers, divided everything up for filing, and threw out several bags of unnecessary junk. I now have a space in the room to put a small dresser for Twoey’s clothing until we move into our bigger place. I feel SOOO much better to have unloaded a bit more (and Leslie also attacked Elliot’s half of the room and unloaded a bunch of his junk, too). So, things are looking up – we’ve significantly de-cluttered, which will make packing up to move MUCH easier (and I don’t have to feel like keeping the baby in our bedroom is a health hazard!).

Micah went down for his nap a little after 1:00 pm. While I was working with Leslie, Christin brought her friend Megan over (who previously babysat for us). Megan is thinking about changing her job, and might be interested in working for us as Micah and Twoey’s nanny beginning in September!! I’m so excited – if this works out, it really will be a great solution for us. She is responsible, good with children, and she is willing to work for a very reasonable amount of money since she is only 20 and has never been a nanny before (although she has TONS of babysitting experience). She would like to be a party planner when she “grows up” and my father has a lot of party planning connections (he owns a stationery business and does a lot of work in that field). We think we can hire her and help get her some internships/other part-time work in the party planning industry. Our hope is that she’ll work for us for two years full time (and maybe another year or so part-time), and that as our need decreases, we can slowly help her take off on the career of her dreams. Let’s see if this works out!

At 3:00, Leslie left. I was amazed at how much we accomplished in three hours. My mom normally comes on Thursday nights for date night, but she has had a rough week at work (and an unexpected trip to the dentist), so I told her she could take the night for herself if she needed it. She apologized, but decided to head home after work. I’m just so lucky she gives us as much time as she does! Since Christin is desperate for more hours and to earn more money, I asked her if she would mind staying later tonight. She happily agreed! When Micah woke up from his nap, she asked if she could take him over to her mom’s (Laura’s) house. Laura babysits my friend Niki and Eric’s kids on Thursdays (that is how I found Christin last year), and Micah loves playing with them and loves going to their house. I said it was fine, and off they went! They played in the baby pool, and played with trains. Christin called and asked if they could stay at Laura’s house through dinner, and I said that was fine. When they took off, Elliot and I decided to head back to my condo to finish emptying it and do all the touch-up painting that needed to be done. By the way, I love those Mr. Clean Magic Erasers – they did a great job removing all kinds of scuffs and issues. We stayed there for about 2 1/2 hours, decided not to do anything more for date night, then made it back here before Micah’s bedtime. We walked through the door, and Micah was sitting quietly, cuddling with Christin, and all dressed in his pajamas. We got to spend some time with him and put him to bed, so it was a nice evening. Christin took off after a VERY long day, but they both seemed to have a great time (and we managed to accomplish a lot today).

I can’t believe we still have another day left this week! I’m looking forward to the long weekend. We are going out to dinner on Saturday night with all of my cousins. We are thinking of having a few people over on Monday afternoon/evening for a Memorial Day….gathering. Very small and low-key, but hopefully it will be fun. We want to keep it small and simple (I am not up for working too hard…and I want to be able to easily cancel if I go into labor).

So…happy Memorial Day Weekend!!

On my own…

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Today began 48 hours of me “on my own” as a single parent because Elliot is at a conference in Philly. I think this may only be the second or third time he has gone out of town since Micah was born – he has definitely done more stints as a “single parent” than I have (although I’ve had him more days on my own than he has). I think I’m just a *little* nervous being 34 weeks pregnant and on my own.

I really shouldn’t complain. Elliot was here this morning when we woke up. I took care of Micah and got him ready for daycare while Elliot packed and got ready. He was able to drop Micah off at daycare on his way out. Today was quite easy – I just had 3 work meetings and an OB appointment, so I did not have to worry about Micah during the day.

Luckily, my Dad was available this evening, so he came to join me around 5:30 today. He kept me company while I went to pick Micah up. I had a horrible experience at pickup today, though. I did not recognize the woman in the room watching the kids when I arrived. I saw another father there I recognized, and I said hi to him (and his son). Micah saw me and came running over and said “hi” and called me Mommy. While I was gathering Micah’s stuff together, the woman asked me if I was Micah’s GRANDMOTHER. Hello – I’m clearly in my 30s, I do not have a single grey hair on my head, and I’m obviously pregnant. GRANDMOTHER? That is what you thought to ask me? I can understand that she did not recognize me, and if she had asked who I was to verify that I was authorized to pick Micah up (or even if she checked my ID), I would have been fine with that. If she had asked if I was a family member, I would have been fine with that. But GRANDMOTHER? SERIOUSLY? How obnoxious is that!! My pregnancy hormones kicked into full gear, and that woman was really lucky I didn’t knock her into tomorrow. I complained about her in the front office on the way out, too. But GRANDMOTHER? Come on!!
After my rude encounter, we were able to have Micah walk to the car holding our hands. He carried Micah for a bit (I’m finding it harder to carry him these days), and helped me keep Micah occupied at home while I cooked him dinner and put away his laundry. Actually, my Dad brought Micah a brand new Elmo DVD – the two of them went downstairs and watched it together. I have to say, I’m not sure which one of them was more enthralled. Perhaps my father – Micah actually got up to play with other toys a few times, and when dinner was ready, it was my Dad who whined about needing a few more minutes to watch the end of the video. They were cute together sitting on the couch and watching the DVD – Micah sucked his thumb most of the time, but he did get up and dance a few times.
Micah ate a pretty good dinner – he had a few pieces of chicken, some rice, sweet potatoes and strawberries. He usually doesn’t like to eat chicken, so I was surprised. My Dad was a huge help wrangling Micah for his bath (WOW was he dirty today!!). I did the bathing, but my Dad lifted him out of the tub and kept him occupied while I lotioned him up, dressed him in pajamas and combed his hair. Of course, Micah had to take his turn to comb my hair (and my father’s, too). Once we finished bath time, Micah gave his Grampy a hug and a kiss and said night-night and goodbye, and Grampy left us for the evening. Many thanks to Grampy for helping out! It made my night much easier. I finished up our nighttime routine and put Micah to bed. Luckily, he was nice and tired and drifted easily off to sleep.

I had my 34 week OB appointment today. Baby’s heartrate was nice and steady, and all is well. I told her that I’ve been feeling a lot of pressure and heaviness, and she suggested I increase my dosage of the anti-contraction medication. Great – that makes me restless. Other than that, nothing new to report! I can’t believe I am already 34 weeks pregnant and that we’ll be meeting Twoey in just a few short weeks. I have so much to do to get ready!

Tomorrow is going to be a long day – I have Micah at home and no classes or activities planned. I need to think of something for us to do, or Micah will go crazy (which means I’ll be crazy)! I may take him for story time at the mall, and there is an indoor train there, too. We may also go pick up my mom and take her to lunch. I have a feeling I will need a little relief by the end of the day…I get exhausted chasing after Micah and I am extra-exhausted because of the pregnancy. Perhaps I’ll see if my Dad wants to stop by for an hour or so in the afternoon, or if I need my mom to come by for an hour or so around dinner time to give me a break. Maybe between the activity and a good nap in the afternoon, I’ll be just fine. We shall see!

I have some cleaning up to do (cleaning lady will be here in the morning), and I’d like to try and get to bed relatively early (although I still need to take the dog out sometime between 2 and 3 or she’ll wake me up at 4 am, so perhaps I’ll just take a nap, walk the dog, and then go to bed). Wish me an easy day tomorrow!

Just a Summary

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On Thursday, we had another busy day. I woke up with my tush still burning and itching from the progesterone shot I had gotten on Monday. This week has been the worst – I have been so uncomfortable, itchy, and in pain from the shot all week, and I kept thinking it would just go away if I waited another day or two. Upon inspection, I realized that I was having an allergic reaction to the shot. As I thought about it, I realized that this was my first shot from the new set of vials (originally, the pharmacy sent 4 vials, and last week they sent my next 4 vials). These new vials are a different color (yellow, and the prior vials were clear). I was concerned that perhaps they used a different oil and that was causing my allergic reaction. So, I decided to call the pharmacy and ask about the shot. Apparently, there is a new manufacturer of the shot, so the formulation is different but the oil used is the same. I was directed to call my nurse and speak with her.

I then called the nursing company who administers the shots each week. They informed me they are getting reports of many reactions – almost 50% of the people who are receiving them. I was told that in most cases, the reactions are limited to the welts and itching, but can progressively get worse with continued shots (although some people only react the first time). I tend to be extremely allergy-sensitive, so I immediately decide that I’m not willing to risk escalating allergic reactions. I asked if they could obtain the P17 from the prior manufacturer and was told they could not. My only choices are: 1) to continue with the shots and deal with the allergic reaction ; or 2) stop the shots.

I tried to call my maternal fetal medicine specialist, but the gatekeepers at his office made it impossible for me to speak to anyone. I called the midwife, and she agreed that it was reasonable (but unfortunate) to stop the shots now. We also discussed my contractions and my concern about them increasing (or continuing to go on untreated). I now have a prescription for terbutaline, and directions about how she suggests I take the medication. I guess we will see where things are on Thursday.

After my crazy morning, I took Micah to a “Mommy and Me” event at Congressional (where his Kidville class is scheduled). We got a balloon, signed up for some free things, ate a quick lunch – it was a fun morning. We then went to our class at 12:30, and Grampy surprised Micah with a visit in class. Micah was SOOO excited to see him – he started to scream and yell and ran over to him.

We did have one meltdown in class. Micah was nestled securely in his teacher Paige’s lap (he LOVES her) and I saw another child in the class try to go running by. I grabbed that child and plopped him on my lap during the music circle time, and then Micah spotted me sitting there with another child in my lap. He went ballistic! He started to yell and came running over ready to push/hit/smack/move the other child out of the way and off my lap. All I can say is “uh-oh” – Micah is in for a rude awakening if he thinks he can keep me all to himself all the time. I’ve never seen him be so possessive of me, but it is definitely starting to show.

Thursday night was our weekly “date night.” Once again, Elliot used the time for practical purposes, and ran to the baby stores. We returned a few items, bought a few items, and looked at baby furniture for Twoey. We think we might have picked out her bedroom set! There is a new line of furniture coming out through this store later this month. It is American-made, green (as in environmentally friendly), and very reasonably priced. We are just waiting for the floor samples to come in to make sure we like the way it looks in person, and we are all set! If not, then we may just buy the same exact set we got for Micah in a different color.

On Friday morning, I took Nugget to her follow-up appointment at the animal hospital. I had a long discussion with the doctor before we signed out last week, and she said this was just an xray and a blood draw, so I did not need to schedule an appointment. She placed a tech service order to allow me to drop by any time. Needless to say…I got there and they insisted I needed an appointment. The doctor I dealt with was nowhere to be seen. I had to deal with a condescending “case manager” who was solely interested in telling me they were right and the confusion was clearly my fault (can we say customer service was not their strong point?). I was so angry at the whole situation. Ultimately, the emergency doctor saw us and ordered the xray and bloodwork. The good news…Nugget looked good on examination, her lungs were clear, and her kidneys seem to be doing okay (her creatinine level was normal, but her BUN was *slightly* elevated). We do not need to go back again for another 3-4 months for a follow-up with the cardiologist.

On Friday late afternoon, we went to a Spring Fling Luau event at Kidville, which included a musical performance, open gym time, some art projects, and pizza. Micah was climbing on the slides, and he loved the musical performance, and he even spent some time putting stickers on the art project. He ate a few pieces of pizza and then we headed home for the night.

Saturday, Daddy and Micah went to services in the morning. The weather was beautiful, so in the afternoon, we set up the gym set that my parents’ bought him for his birthday outside. Micah spent a while playing basketball, climbing on the slide and running around outside. We then had Jen and Dave come over to meet us for dinner. We just ran out for Chinese food, and then spent a few hours relaxing and catching up. Unfortunately, we could not find a babysitter for the evening, but it was still a wonderful night.

Sunday, we decided to meet some friends at Butler’s Orchard for a bunny festival! Micah had SOOO much fun – he got to pet sheep, a bunny, baby chicks (well, he nearly smashed those), and play with some toys in hay. Then he sat on a wooden choo-choo train, rode John Deere tractor tricycles, played in a wooden house, watched some children on pony rides, took a hayride, went on the moonbounce…it was a day full of activity!! We got some amazing photos of Micah:













After all the activities, Micah was exhausted, so we took him home for his nap. We fed Micah dinner, and I decorated some cupcakes. After dinner, I headed out to an Indian restaurants with the cupcakes to help celebrate a friend’s birthday. It was a nice evening.

Yesterday was back to the grind – I had a meeting downtown today, so it was a busy day. The traffic was also awful because of the Nuclear Summit. Today, Micah’s daycare had a trip to a the Natural History Museum, so I decided to take Micah and join them instead of going to his Kidville class in the morning. He had a lot of fun – there were all kinds of animals to see and a butterfly exhibit! Unfortunately, the trip started late and Micah started to get grumpy partway through the trip. I had to leave a bit early to get back in time for my OB appointment, so they agreed to keep Micah to finish up the activities (and Elliot met them back at the daycare when they returned). I took a few pictures, but I’ll have to upload them another day.

My OB appointment was this afternoon – 30 weeks!! I can’t believe how fast this pregnancy is flying. We discussed my contractions, and the midwife was concerned about the number of contractions I”m having. She recommends that I start taking the terbutaline on a regular basis now, and she did a fetal fibronectin test (it can predict pre-term labor) just to be safe. Other than that, I’m measuring 29 weeks now, baby’s heartrate sounded great, and my sugars have all been normal. I picked up the booklet on the diet – I have to say, I could never eat that much food! They recommend something like 2400 calories a day, 12 ozs of protein, 10-15 veggies a day, 3 fruits….perhaps it would be easier if I wasn’t vegetarian, but the only way I can consume that many calories a day is if it includes a nice big vat of chocolate ice cream…and brownies…and I don’t think that is what they have in mind.

One last note…Micah (and his Daddy and I) wanted to wish his Poppy Ira a VERY happy birthday today!! We’re thinking of you, and can’t wait to see you.

Twoey’s 16 week OB visit and ultrasound

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On Wednesday, we had our 16 week appointment. Unfortunately, DH was unable to join us due to a work conflict, and I wasn’t able to record the heartbeat this time. The appointment went well – I was measuring right on target, I lost 2 more pounds, and I’m probably just stuck with the morning sickness. I have to get more bloodwork done, but they didn’t manage to get me the bloodwork requests before I left. Frankly, I hate getting the bloodwork done anyway, so I just couldn’t be bothered fighting!

Today was Twoey’s 16 week ultrasound! We hoped they would be able to tell us the gender, and we needed to meet with the doctor about my contractions and pain. Naturally, they were late getting started. They started out doing a cervical length check, and it did appear there was some shrinkage (not such good news) but it was still at least 3.5 cms, which is a decent measurement, just shorter than last month.

Then, the tech got to it and started checking the baby. Everything looked great with Twoey! Baby was measuring about 3 days ahead (Micah was measuring ahead at this point, too). Arms/legs/head all looked perfect, and the little heart was pumping away, with a heart rate of 155 bpm. We got to see the kidneys and spine, and cute little hands and face. Best of all, Twoey decide to cooperate and show us the “goods”! Here are the photos we got:




Isn’t SHE beautiful? Yes, we are having a little girl!

In other news, the fibroid is hiding well up against the placenta, but the doctor feels that it will continue to give me some problems. I was given a prescription of Indocin to take for the pain and contractions, but not more than 48 hours worth of medicine in any one week period. Hopefully, that will do the trick! For right now, everything is going asexpected, and our next ultrasound is scheduled for February 4.

Heading South for the Winter . . . Snowbird on the Way?

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Well, we just got back from our 35 week appointment with the midwife we’ve only seen one other time during this pregnancy – and she was really nice! The last time I met with her, she yelled at me about my weight, so I’ve been avoiding her. Anyway, we talked about my situation and my labor, and she was really helpful and great about everything, so I’m feeling good about her if she is the one who ends up on call when I go into labor.

In other news . . . I had my first internal exam. I’m apparently 50% effaced and 1 cm dilated! The baby is between -1 and 0 station (meaning he has started his descent already). We asked about going out of town this weekend, and she wants me to base my decision on my cervical length at the ultrasound on Friday. She said if it hasn’t changed drastically, I have a yellow light to go . . . she doesn’t think I will go into labor, but she recommends taking my pills closer to every 4 hrs, bringing my hospital bag, a copy of my medical records, drinking lots of water, and doing my best to take it easy.

Bottom line is she thinks this baby will most like come next week – she’d guess I will go into labor when I stop the medicine (especially since I’m already experiencing cervical changes, the baby is dropping, and I’m dilating while ON the medication). I’m so excited . . . I might actually be a mommy next week!

In other news, the stupid contractors were here all day yesterday and took everything off our bathroom shelves and left it on the floor. Being 35 weeks pregnant, it never occurred to me to go upstairs and check the bathroom before I ran out last night because I was too tired to climb the stairs. Long story short, we returned home to find that Nugget had gotten in to Elliot’s travel kit and had managed to consume a bunch of vitamins and some metamucil. She was spitting out big gelatinous chunks of the stuff! That poor dog has the WORST gas today – my whole house stinks from it!

Another baby picture!

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Today we had another ultrasound! Not to crank and complain, but the ultrasound tech showed up to work over an hour late AGAIN. The staff was fairly rude, and the doctor just made excuses for everything. We told her we would be leaving the practice – I really have had enough of the way this office is run.

Luckily, Elliot and I were stopped short in our complaining when the ultrasound began. We couldn’t believe how much the baby has grown over the past few weeks. Elliot was watching the screen, and when he saw the baby, his jaw dropped and he said “It looks like a baby and it is moving!!” I can’t believe I’m actually 10 weeks pregnant already! On another good note – my previously enlarged and cysty ovary seems to have returned to “almost” normal.

First OB appointment

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Today I woke up excited for our first OB appointment . . . until I went to the bathroom and realized I was spotting. I became panicked, and I was sure I was going to miscarry. We got to the doctor’s office – and no one was there! Our appointment was at 8, they asked us to arrive at 7:45, and we were not seen until 8:50. I was LIVID – the doctor blamed the ultrasound tech, and the ultrasound tech blamed the doctor, but the bottom line was neither one of them showed up on time and we were forced to wait.

The ultrasound tech was horribly rude. I mentioned that I was worried about the spotting, and when she did the ultrasound, she hid the screen from us. When I asked her questions, she told me that she doesn’t share information. I was not pleased with this office at all. I asked her a simple question – was there a heartbeat – and she wouldn’t even answer me.

Luckily, it all turned out to be good news. The baby’s heartbeat was measured at 178, so doing quite well. I have to go back for another ultrasound with the rude lady in two weeks to monitor my ovary (it is currently enlarged), and then another appointment at 12 weeks. We also got a prescription to do a nuchal translucency scan to check for Down’s Syndrome. I’ll be setting that up soon!