Sunday, August 31, 2008
Isaiah's Birthday!
As some of you already know, Isaiah Cruz Guerrettaz was born on Thursday, August 28 at 5:41 pm. He was 5 pounds 1.3 ounces and 19" long. He was delivered by C-section...more about the why and other details another time. We just arrived home a few hours ago so I am still resting up and trying to spend as much time staring at my perfect little man as I can. The greatest news is that he appears to be in perfect health at this point. He was nearly 6weeks early and didn't have any respiratory problems or delays in reflexes. He latched on and was breastfeeding immediately! He is absolutely adorable. I will post pictures and hopefully a brief clip of his little chirps and wimpers soon...too cute.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Things I Never Thought I'd Say
After a somewhat hectic Sunday, Mark was out the door early (I'm talkin' 4am...uck) Monday morning for his business trip to Minnesota. I got plenty of sleep that morning, thankfully, so I was able to get a few of the more annoying tasks out of the way...our roof is leaking due to a poorly installed satellite dish so I was dealing with those sort of things.
I spent the afternoon chatting with my mom and living vicariously while she cleaned my living room and kitchen. Sweet! She also made me a tasty dinner. Its so nice having someone cook you dinner. I can get used to this pampering.
On Tuesday, mom ran me around to get some other errands done (bank, shopping, lunch, etc) and we headed to Rockford for my ultrasound and consultation. Everything looked great on the ultrasound. I even got a 4D pic of babies chubby face! Oh lord he has the biggest, fattest cheeks ever! And tons of hair according to the technician. He is measuring right on track at 4 1/2 pounds. All good news. I was planning on heading home within minutes when the doctor came in to conifrm all was well.
He started by saying everything looked good, and then he started reading my medical records. Hmmm...his suggestions were similar to the 2nd opinion we had gotten a few weeks earlier. After some more digging, he also indicated there was no way of really knowing what was going on with out additional tests and an exam. He really didn't understand why my current doctor hadn't done these tests, or why she sent me home from the hospital without at least 24 hours of monitoring.
He was excellent, did a very thorough history, exam, etc and then started asking questions about my blood pressure, weight gain, etc. "Well, you just won yourself a stay in my hospital" he says. "Umm...you mean today?" I asked. "Yes."
Ok, wasn't really expecting that. I knew it was a possibility, but I felt great. The strange thing is, I wasn't admitted because of the abruption, I was admitted because of preeclampsia. Oh joy! Unfortunately, it appears I've been teetering on the brink of mild preeclampsia for nearly my entire pregnancy. This is something I was very surprised to hear. These are the high-risk experts so I assume they have a good a idea. I was kept overnight for monitoring since my BP was 160/100! Holy crap. They also said I had protein in my urine through my whole pregnancy (really?), edema, my weight gain could not have been just because of diet, and the pain in my right side (rib pain) had to be examined as it is also a symptom of preeclampsia as are headaches.
Huh?! I had previously told my regular doctor about the pain in my ribs, she said it was just the baby. She didn't even ask where specifically or poke me or anything. I told her I had a really bad headache at my last hospital visit and obvious swelling. She claimed it was because I wasn't drinking enough water. My high BPs had a tendency to drop once I was in bed for awhile and she said I had NO protein in my urine so no preeclampsia.....Somethings fishy here.
In addition to my regular docs obvious lack of concern regarding a potential placental abruption, she has clearly been ignoring what are obvious signs of preeclampsia. My mom was with me and is not to happy with my current doctor, nor is my hubby. More on that at another time.
So I got hooked up to the monitors an settled in my hospital room with absolutely nothing to do. Ugh! I should have at least planned for the worst and brought my hospital bag along. I tracked down some magazines, got some crossword puzzles, watched a TON of TV, and became quite the talker whenever a nurse, cleaning lady, or nutritionist came to the room. :) It passed the time.
Thankfully I was released last night! Woohoo! I have never been happier to be in my own bed. No more complaints about being jailed in my own home. Nearly 2 days in the hospital was enough for me. I don't know how people do it for any longer. Since my problems are 2-fold now, I am on official house arrest. I can no longer even make a sandwich for myself. I am allowed bathroom privledges at least (thank god!) and get to leave the house twice a week to go to the hospital for 2 hours of monitoring. I will go in twice a week for at least 2 hours until the baby is born. If I show any signs of moving toward more severe preeclampsia or other symptoms associated with the abruption, the baby will be delivered and we'll be done with it.
So that's the latest news. I was freaked out for obvious reasons while in the hospital, but after talking to the high-risk doc who released me last night I feel tons better. I only have to hang on until this Sunday, after that I could have the baby any day. All I have to do is stay in bed and I could potential hang in there until nearly 40 weeks! It almost feels like a challenge to hit 40 weeks at this point so I'm determined to remain sloth-like for as long as possible. :)
In the midst of all this craziness, I have uttered sentences I never in a million years thought I would say as an adult. Here are some of the better ones:
"I need more ice for my pee."
"Can we move this thing, my belly button itches?"
"Can I walk?"
"How do I use the bathroom?"
"Yes, I think I understand. So I pee in the hat and dump it in that container, right?"
"Mom, can you bring me clean underwear?"
:)
I spent the afternoon chatting with my mom and living vicariously while she cleaned my living room and kitchen. Sweet! She also made me a tasty dinner. Its so nice having someone cook you dinner. I can get used to this pampering.
On Tuesday, mom ran me around to get some other errands done (bank, shopping, lunch, etc) and we headed to Rockford for my ultrasound and consultation. Everything looked great on the ultrasound. I even got a 4D pic of babies chubby face! Oh lord he has the biggest, fattest cheeks ever! And tons of hair according to the technician. He is measuring right on track at 4 1/2 pounds. All good news. I was planning on heading home within minutes when the doctor came in to conifrm all was well.
He started by saying everything looked good, and then he started reading my medical records. Hmmm...his suggestions were similar to the 2nd opinion we had gotten a few weeks earlier. After some more digging, he also indicated there was no way of really knowing what was going on with out additional tests and an exam. He really didn't understand why my current doctor hadn't done these tests, or why she sent me home from the hospital without at least 24 hours of monitoring.
He was excellent, did a very thorough history, exam, etc and then started asking questions about my blood pressure, weight gain, etc. "Well, you just won yourself a stay in my hospital" he says. "Umm...you mean today?" I asked. "Yes."
Ok, wasn't really expecting that. I knew it was a possibility, but I felt great. The strange thing is, I wasn't admitted because of the abruption, I was admitted because of preeclampsia. Oh joy! Unfortunately, it appears I've been teetering on the brink of mild preeclampsia for nearly my entire pregnancy. This is something I was very surprised to hear. These are the high-risk experts so I assume they have a good a idea. I was kept overnight for monitoring since my BP was 160/100! Holy crap. They also said I had protein in my urine through my whole pregnancy (really?), edema, my weight gain could not have been just because of diet, and the pain in my right side (rib pain) had to be examined as it is also a symptom of preeclampsia as are headaches.
Huh?! I had previously told my regular doctor about the pain in my ribs, she said it was just the baby. She didn't even ask where specifically or poke me or anything. I told her I had a really bad headache at my last hospital visit and obvious swelling. She claimed it was because I wasn't drinking enough water. My high BPs had a tendency to drop once I was in bed for awhile and she said I had NO protein in my urine so no preeclampsia.....Somethings fishy here.
In addition to my regular docs obvious lack of concern regarding a potential placental abruption, she has clearly been ignoring what are obvious signs of preeclampsia. My mom was with me and is not to happy with my current doctor, nor is my hubby. More on that at another time.
So I got hooked up to the monitors an settled in my hospital room with absolutely nothing to do. Ugh! I should have at least planned for the worst and brought my hospital bag along. I tracked down some magazines, got some crossword puzzles, watched a TON of TV, and became quite the talker whenever a nurse, cleaning lady, or nutritionist came to the room. :) It passed the time.
Thankfully I was released last night! Woohoo! I have never been happier to be in my own bed. No more complaints about being jailed in my own home. Nearly 2 days in the hospital was enough for me. I don't know how people do it for any longer. Since my problems are 2-fold now, I am on official house arrest. I can no longer even make a sandwich for myself. I am allowed bathroom privledges at least (thank god!) and get to leave the house twice a week to go to the hospital for 2 hours of monitoring. I will go in twice a week for at least 2 hours until the baby is born. If I show any signs of moving toward more severe preeclampsia or other symptoms associated with the abruption, the baby will be delivered and we'll be done with it.
So that's the latest news. I was freaked out for obvious reasons while in the hospital, but after talking to the high-risk doc who released me last night I feel tons better. I only have to hang on until this Sunday, after that I could have the baby any day. All I have to do is stay in bed and I could potential hang in there until nearly 40 weeks! It almost feels like a challenge to hit 40 weeks at this point so I'm determined to remain sloth-like for as long as possible. :)
In the midst of all this craziness, I have uttered sentences I never in a million years thought I would say as an adult. Here are some of the better ones:
"I need more ice for my pee."
"Can we move this thing, my belly button itches?"
"Can I walk?"
"How do I use the bathroom?"
"Yes, I think I understand. So I pee in the hat and dump it in that container, right?"
"Mom, can you bring me clean underwear?"
:)
Friday, August 15, 2008
Congratulations Nicki P!!!
I have to give a much belated congrats to a friend who had her son in late July (((Kaiden Jay))). He (who was actually supposed to be a girl according to the ultrasound) was born quite a bit early (32 weeks), but looks like he's quite the trooper. Unlike me, Nicki had no signs of premature labor or other complications, but one night had to call 911 when she realized she was actually in labor. She got to the hospital, already at 7 cm, and delivered her son shortly thereafter. Last I heard he was still using a feeding tube while waiting for those relfexes to kick in, but all else was great and he is ADORABLE! I love this story since I am due only a few weeks after her (well...was due). It makes me feel better and helps me to believe our son will be ok if he comes early.
Of course, our doctor has reassured us that if we have to induce labor or if I go into to premature labor, it will be safe to deliver him at this point. I am almost 33weeks, which is still very early, but we got the steroid shot and it appears he should be over 4 pounds at this point. He may still end up in the NICU, but shouldn't have any long-term problems. Ahhhh...sigh of relief. So right now our only concern is making sure that I avoid any situations where an abruption would get worse (if I actually have one...only 30% are diagnosable by ultrasound...how fun). This is why they would consider sticking me in the hospital for weeks and weeks or just inducing me. If the placenta detaches from the uterine wall too much, the baby's source of oxygen and nutrients will be cut off, which is very bad for obvious reasons. If I'm already in the hospital, it is obviously ideal for them to get him out right away should this occur. On the other hand, is this all over-reaction? It is always possible that a small tear will stay a small tear, especially since it hasn't appeared to have gotten worse, in which case I could spend my time being more comfortable at home. It is also possible that this is simply how my little body reacts to having a small bowling ball in my belly, and I could hang on until 40 weeks. I suppose we may not know until the big day...I'll do my best to keep everyone posted.
Of course, our doctor has reassured us that if we have to induce labor or if I go into to premature labor, it will be safe to deliver him at this point. I am almost 33weeks, which is still very early, but we got the steroid shot and it appears he should be over 4 pounds at this point. He may still end up in the NICU, but shouldn't have any long-term problems. Ahhhh...sigh of relief. So right now our only concern is making sure that I avoid any situations where an abruption would get worse (if I actually have one...only 30% are diagnosable by ultrasound...how fun). This is why they would consider sticking me in the hospital for weeks and weeks or just inducing me. If the placenta detaches from the uterine wall too much, the baby's source of oxygen and nutrients will be cut off, which is very bad for obvious reasons. If I'm already in the hospital, it is obviously ideal for them to get him out right away should this occur. On the other hand, is this all over-reaction? It is always possible that a small tear will stay a small tear, especially since it hasn't appeared to have gotten worse, in which case I could spend my time being more comfortable at home. It is also possible that this is simply how my little body reacts to having a small bowling ball in my belly, and I could hang on until 40 weeks. I suppose we may not know until the big day...I'll do my best to keep everyone posted.
Doctors, doctors, doctors...I'm sick of doctors.
Another Friday, another visit to the doctor. My doctor has recommended me to a high-risk specialist in Rockford. For those of you unfamiliar with the way thing work out here in the boonies, rural hospitals aren't generally equipped for trauma, major surgeries, etc. Out here the hospital is basically a place where patients can be stabilized before being flown to a larger hospital...in this case, Rockford. I am waiting to hear back from the specialist's nurse to find out what time I will be going in next week.
The new doctor will be reviewing my records and I will get a "specialized" ultrasound, whatever that means. This doctor will determine what steps to take next, which can range from being admitted to a hospital in Rockford until the baby is born to inducing labor to coming home and sticking with bedrest. Holy crap! This is especially poor timing since Mark has to be out of town all of next week. We already arranged for my mom to come stay with me for the week, so thankfully she is free to take me in and keep me company. I am keeping my fingers crossed that nothing major goes down until Mark gets back Friday night. Even better would be hearing the doctor say,"I see nothing wrong, you're just an unusual case. Go home, do everything you normally would and wait for your baby to arrive in early October." Hey, a girl can dream.
Since I was out of the house anyway this AM for my visit to the doc, Mark and I took a detour to Shawn's to get some breakfast. Yeah for tasty muffins! I also had a small coffee, with lots of water to follow. It was de-lic-ious! We sat there and talked for a good hour. It was so nice to be out of the house doing something normal. My second taste of world in 1 week! Last weekend I went to a friends wedding shower, also very entertaining albiet exhausting. I was out a little longer than I had expected and took a serious nap as soon as I got home. Fortunately, Mark found this so endearing that when I woke up all groggy eyed and dizzy, he decided to jump right into a bunch of household chores that I would have the duty to oversee. Awww. He knows me so well. All I had to hear was, "let's get some things done around the house" and that shook the sleepy right out of me. Sometimes its strange being a Virgo.
He hung curtains the nursery, put together to portable crib for our bedroom, did ALL of the laundry, and some vaccuuming. Now I'm just hoping he'll clean out the garage before he goes out of town next week. Aren't you people glad you're not married to me? hahaha.
The new doctor will be reviewing my records and I will get a "specialized" ultrasound, whatever that means. This doctor will determine what steps to take next, which can range from being admitted to a hospital in Rockford until the baby is born to inducing labor to coming home and sticking with bedrest. Holy crap! This is especially poor timing since Mark has to be out of town all of next week. We already arranged for my mom to come stay with me for the week, so thankfully she is free to take me in and keep me company. I am keeping my fingers crossed that nothing major goes down until Mark gets back Friday night. Even better would be hearing the doctor say,"I see nothing wrong, you're just an unusual case. Go home, do everything you normally would and wait for your baby to arrive in early October." Hey, a girl can dream.
Since I was out of the house anyway this AM for my visit to the doc, Mark and I took a detour to Shawn's to get some breakfast. Yeah for tasty muffins! I also had a small coffee, with lots of water to follow. It was de-lic-ious! We sat there and talked for a good hour. It was so nice to be out of the house doing something normal. My second taste of world in 1 week! Last weekend I went to a friends wedding shower, also very entertaining albiet exhausting. I was out a little longer than I had expected and took a serious nap as soon as I got home. Fortunately, Mark found this so endearing that when I woke up all groggy eyed and dizzy, he decided to jump right into a bunch of household chores that I would have the duty to oversee. Awww. He knows me so well. All I had to hear was, "let's get some things done around the house" and that shook the sleepy right out of me. Sometimes its strange being a Virgo.
He hung curtains the nursery, put together to portable crib for our bedroom, did ALL of the laundry, and some vaccuuming. Now I'm just hoping he'll clean out the garage before he goes out of town next week. Aren't you people glad you're not married to me? hahaha.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Reality Check and My Need to Nest
I'm back! What a week. Two crazy weeks in a row. Its only going to crazier from here on out I suppose.
First, let me clarify a few things about the steroid shots for those who are like, "WTF Kel! Isn't that bad!" Truth? At first I was terrified to get the shots, so much so that I actually had an incident a few weeks after my first trip to the hospital...and I didn't tell my doctor (I told her later, woops!). I had done some research on steroids and was fearful that the negative outcomes I was reading about would happen to us. Fortunately, I then found a very thorough review paper on betamethasone administered IM to improve outcomes for premature babies. Turns out that 1 course of treatment is very advantageous, should the baby arrive early, with minimal negative outcomes for the child. Not only is the incidence of respiratory problems significantly reduced, but so is the incidence of neural hemorage and periventricular leukomalacia (big word!), both of which are linked to cerebral palsy. The incidence of CP in premies who were exposed to betamethasone at least 7 days before delivery is cut in half! In fact, the only downside I found was that these infants tend to have more infections/trips the to doctor in the first 2 years of life than full-term healthy babies. Since I haven't read the actual studies that reported this finding, I have to presume that one limitation is the fact that we are comparing premies to full-term babies, which may increase the incidence of infection in and of itself. So I have to say...bring on the steroids!
The negative effects of steroids are associated with MULTIPLE courses. In this instance, there is a lot to be concerned about, including low birth weight, small head circumferenc, and effects of the hypothalamic-adrenal axis (badness!). There is NO evidence whatsoever that more than 1 course is beneficial and tons of data suggesting that mulitple courses are bad, yet some docs still administer multiple courses. What!?
I explained all of this to Mark and my nurse at the hospital to ensure that I DO NOT get another treatment. I'm sure the nurse is like, "who does this lady think she is? I hate people who tell us how to do our job." I could care less. I trust my abilities to read and analyze medical literature far more than I trust that my doctor and nurses are well read and up to date on recent literature. And I feel more confident than cocky when I say this since my doctor suggested I take over the counter tylenol PM to help me sleep. Umm...sorry lady, but no. Tylenol PM contains dyphenhydramine. I'm not going to rant about why I think its bad to use as a sleep med (after years of writing negative things about dyphenhydramine as a sleep med, I'm convinced). I will mention that I'm taking Alevert...an allergy medication...that contains loratadine...hmmhmm...also an antihistimine. Isn't that bad lady? And people wonder why recent epidemiological data shows that the rate of accidental deaths due to drug interaction is increasing sharply and will far exceed death by homicide if it continues at this rate. Really? Um...yes! Soon death by motor vehicle accident (the rates of which are decreasing) will be the only specific cause of accidental death to exceed drug "mix ups".
Sorry for ranting, but I find this appaling as many people trust their doctors and pharmacists to do their jobs...and clearly there is something lacking here. The moral: feel free to doubt the "expert" and ask for a second opinion, even if its something as simple as double-checking with the pharmacist when you pick up meds.
OK, well this is nice transisition to today's events. I had a follow up appointment with my doctor to make sure all was going well after leaving the hospital and getting the steroids. Turns out my doctor is on vacation until NEXT Friday so I had to see one of her collegues. Essentially we were given a second opinion. Today I was told that if I was his patient I would have been hospitalized for good last week. Meaning I would be in the hospital for 6 weeks. Ugh! He believes that they should have done another ultrasound and at least kept me for 24 hours for monitoring instead of letting me go home. Without this info, he was unable to identify whether or not I had a placental abruption, but based on my history thus far, he would diagnose me with a placental abruption. If it gets worse and I don't make it to the hopsital in time...no baby. Ummm...we freaked!
This doctor then discussed my history with another collegue of his who said he would also just send me home with light activity. Evidently it is a matter of opinion. So now I'm freaked and am going to be a very very good mommy from here on out. I'm staying in bed, I'm knitting, I'm drinking bathtubs full of water. My need to nest is restricted to making lists of things for Mark to do. :) Poor Mark.
He has been very busy with a hectic work schedule lately so keeping up with house work hasn't been at the top of his list. Yes, this annoys me, but not that much. Some days I totally want to just do laundry, or jump in and clean the bathroom...but I don't. My mom has been good about coming over and doing some cleaning here and there on days when I'm totally losing it. I can't fault Mark for neglecting dishes and laundry for a few days in lieu of sleep. He needs sleep. He is also doing the big jobs on the to-do list, which really are more important that the little day to day things that aren't going to hurt anything if left undone.
This past weekend he put in a kitchen backsplash for me! We wanted to use our wedding money and stimulus package wisely, so we decided on home improvements that will payoff. We didn't want to do the tiling in the kitchen after the baby was born because of the mess. We were worried about the chemical odor from the sealer and grout with the baby around (presently I can go and sit at my parents for the day while it airs out). We also weren't sure if there would be a lot of dust from cutting tiles. The one thing I didn't think about was losing the use of my kitchen. As it turns out, this would have probably been the most problematic part of doing this after the baby was born. My friend Joel is usually our go to guy when it comes to this type of thing, but he is busy until this winter. So, Mark decided we could save a boat load of dollas if he did it himself. He's never done anything like this before so we were both a little worried about it. It turned out fantastic!
Boy, give me a whole lotta nothing to do and a keyboard and I'll type til my fingers fall off evidently. I'll end this now, and save my other gripes for another day.
TA!
First, let me clarify a few things about the steroid shots for those who are like, "WTF Kel! Isn't that bad!" Truth? At first I was terrified to get the shots, so much so that I actually had an incident a few weeks after my first trip to the hospital...and I didn't tell my doctor (I told her later, woops!). I had done some research on steroids and was fearful that the negative outcomes I was reading about would happen to us. Fortunately, I then found a very thorough review paper on betamethasone administered IM to improve outcomes for premature babies. Turns out that 1 course of treatment is very advantageous, should the baby arrive early, with minimal negative outcomes for the child. Not only is the incidence of respiratory problems significantly reduced, but so is the incidence of neural hemorage and periventricular leukomalacia (big word!), both of which are linked to cerebral palsy. The incidence of CP in premies who were exposed to betamethasone at least 7 days before delivery is cut in half! In fact, the only downside I found was that these infants tend to have more infections/trips the to doctor in the first 2 years of life than full-term healthy babies. Since I haven't read the actual studies that reported this finding, I have to presume that one limitation is the fact that we are comparing premies to full-term babies, which may increase the incidence of infection in and of itself. So I have to say...bring on the steroids!
The negative effects of steroids are associated with MULTIPLE courses. In this instance, there is a lot to be concerned about, including low birth weight, small head circumferenc, and effects of the hypothalamic-adrenal axis (badness!). There is NO evidence whatsoever that more than 1 course is beneficial and tons of data suggesting that mulitple courses are bad, yet some docs still administer multiple courses. What!?
I explained all of this to Mark and my nurse at the hospital to ensure that I DO NOT get another treatment. I'm sure the nurse is like, "who does this lady think she is? I hate people who tell us how to do our job." I could care less. I trust my abilities to read and analyze medical literature far more than I trust that my doctor and nurses are well read and up to date on recent literature. And I feel more confident than cocky when I say this since my doctor suggested I take over the counter tylenol PM to help me sleep. Umm...sorry lady, but no. Tylenol PM contains dyphenhydramine. I'm not going to rant about why I think its bad to use as a sleep med (after years of writing negative things about dyphenhydramine as a sleep med, I'm convinced). I will mention that I'm taking Alevert...an allergy medication...that contains loratadine...hmmhmm...also an antihistimine. Isn't that bad lady? And people wonder why recent epidemiological data shows that the rate of accidental deaths due to drug interaction is increasing sharply and will far exceed death by homicide if it continues at this rate. Really? Um...yes! Soon death by motor vehicle accident (the rates of which are decreasing) will be the only specific cause of accidental death to exceed drug "mix ups".
Sorry for ranting, but I find this appaling as many people trust their doctors and pharmacists to do their jobs...and clearly there is something lacking here. The moral: feel free to doubt the "expert" and ask for a second opinion, even if its something as simple as double-checking with the pharmacist when you pick up meds.
OK, well this is nice transisition to today's events. I had a follow up appointment with my doctor to make sure all was going well after leaving the hospital and getting the steroids. Turns out my doctor is on vacation until NEXT Friday so I had to see one of her collegues. Essentially we were given a second opinion. Today I was told that if I was his patient I would have been hospitalized for good last week. Meaning I would be in the hospital for 6 weeks. Ugh! He believes that they should have done another ultrasound and at least kept me for 24 hours for monitoring instead of letting me go home. Without this info, he was unable to identify whether or not I had a placental abruption, but based on my history thus far, he would diagnose me with a placental abruption. If it gets worse and I don't make it to the hopsital in time...no baby. Ummm...we freaked!
This doctor then discussed my history with another collegue of his who said he would also just send me home with light activity. Evidently it is a matter of opinion. So now I'm freaked and am going to be a very very good mommy from here on out. I'm staying in bed, I'm knitting, I'm drinking bathtubs full of water. My need to nest is restricted to making lists of things for Mark to do. :) Poor Mark.
He has been very busy with a hectic work schedule lately so keeping up with house work hasn't been at the top of his list. Yes, this annoys me, but not that much. Some days I totally want to just do laundry, or jump in and clean the bathroom...but I don't. My mom has been good about coming over and doing some cleaning here and there on days when I'm totally losing it. I can't fault Mark for neglecting dishes and laundry for a few days in lieu of sleep. He needs sleep. He is also doing the big jobs on the to-do list, which really are more important that the little day to day things that aren't going to hurt anything if left undone.
This past weekend he put in a kitchen backsplash for me! We wanted to use our wedding money and stimulus package wisely, so we decided on home improvements that will payoff. We didn't want to do the tiling in the kitchen after the baby was born because of the mess. We were worried about the chemical odor from the sealer and grout with the baby around (presently I can go and sit at my parents for the day while it airs out). We also weren't sure if there would be a lot of dust from cutting tiles. The one thing I didn't think about was losing the use of my kitchen. As it turns out, this would have probably been the most problematic part of doing this after the baby was born. My friend Joel is usually our go to guy when it comes to this type of thing, but he is busy until this winter. So, Mark decided we could save a boat load of dollas if he did it himself. He's never done anything like this before so we were both a little worried about it. It turned out fantastic!
Boy, give me a whole lotta nothing to do and a keyboard and I'll type til my fingers fall off evidently. I'll end this now, and save my other gripes for another day.
TA!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
9 Weeks to Go... I'm Going Stir Crazy
It has been another exciting week around here. I had quite the burst of energy and got quite a few things on my to-do list accomplished. Yes, I have heard that you get a burst of energy before you go into labor, but he's still cooking...before anyone jumps to conclusions.
On Monday Mark started on his long list of honey-do's before the baby comes. He hung darkening blinds on all windows upstairs to keep it cooler up there (just in time for that heat wave) and fixed some other things around the house before heading to work. I finished up all of the little things on the baby clothes I've made, like sewing on buttons and what not. I then started a gigantic nursing sweater for myself..yeah! The following day I headed to my parents to enjoy their AC and let Stella run around for awhile. I also wanted to see Winnie who is officially banned to my parents house until the baby arrives. She has too much energy for me to handle alone and outdoor exercise does her good. Surprisingly, I arrived to a few gifts that my mother couldn't wait any longer to give me. :) It was like Christmas...but better. We got a video camera so we won't miss a moment once the baby arrives (Marks favorite thing ever by the way...more on this later). We also got a travel system, which has a car seat base, carrier and stroller...sooo neat and convenient. I have mentioned putting Stella in for a test drive, but she far exceeds the weight limit. I'm a dork.
As Wednesday rolled around I was still full of pep so I ran a few errands in town (picked up fabric for nursery curtains, got a few items from the grocery store, etc). Once I got home I was ready to sew. I finished the last of the homemade sleepers. Hopefully these will work out as well as the store bought ones, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I also started making the curtains for the nursery. While I was sewing (which I do in the kitchen, its our only table) I set up a pretty nifty freezing assembly line for over abundant harvest of beans I snatched from my mom's. Her garden is rockin' this year (as usual...Martha Stewart would be put to shame). It was much easier than expected to freeze veggies. I've never done it before. While I was waiting for things to boil and then cool, I got my sewing done. Voila! I love multi-tasking.
On Thursday, I discovered that taking advantage of my burst of energy did get some thing checked on my list, but left me exhausted on Thursday. Ooops! There I go again. I did my best to stay off my feet all day and drank plenty of water. Since my "limited activity" was put into effect, I have broken the rules now and then, which usually puts me in bed for a few days with some tisks from my doc. I haven't really had any complications though. Rest and water generally does the trick and I'm back to square one, trying to follow all the rules like a good mommy.
Unfortunately, on Friday I discovered that I really had over done it. I ended up in the hospital again. The baby is still fine, all my tests came back normal. I got a little reprimand from my doctor....FOLLOW THE RULES KELLY! And, I now have to track my water intake to make sure I drink at least 200 oz a day. I also got my first course of steriods to help the babies lungs develop in case I deliver early... boy that's fun. More on that later, for now I'm going to try to get some sleep....a wonderful side effect of betamethasone is evidently restlessness and insomnia. Yeah for me.
On Monday Mark started on his long list of honey-do's before the baby comes. He hung darkening blinds on all windows upstairs to keep it cooler up there (just in time for that heat wave) and fixed some other things around the house before heading to work. I finished up all of the little things on the baby clothes I've made, like sewing on buttons and what not. I then started a gigantic nursing sweater for myself..yeah! The following day I headed to my parents to enjoy their AC and let Stella run around for awhile. I also wanted to see Winnie who is officially banned to my parents house until the baby arrives. She has too much energy for me to handle alone and outdoor exercise does her good. Surprisingly, I arrived to a few gifts that my mother couldn't wait any longer to give me. :) It was like Christmas...but better. We got a video camera so we won't miss a moment once the baby arrives (Marks favorite thing ever by the way...more on this later). We also got a travel system, which has a car seat base, carrier and stroller...sooo neat and convenient. I have mentioned putting Stella in for a test drive, but she far exceeds the weight limit. I'm a dork.
As Wednesday rolled around I was still full of pep so I ran a few errands in town (picked up fabric for nursery curtains, got a few items from the grocery store, etc). Once I got home I was ready to sew. I finished the last of the homemade sleepers. Hopefully these will work out as well as the store bought ones, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I also started making the curtains for the nursery. While I was sewing (which I do in the kitchen, its our only table) I set up a pretty nifty freezing assembly line for over abundant harvest of beans I snatched from my mom's. Her garden is rockin' this year (as usual...Martha Stewart would be put to shame). It was much easier than expected to freeze veggies. I've never done it before. While I was waiting for things to boil and then cool, I got my sewing done. Voila! I love multi-tasking.
On Thursday, I discovered that taking advantage of my burst of energy did get some thing checked on my list, but left me exhausted on Thursday. Ooops! There I go again. I did my best to stay off my feet all day and drank plenty of water. Since my "limited activity" was put into effect, I have broken the rules now and then, which usually puts me in bed for a few days with some tisks from my doc. I haven't really had any complications though. Rest and water generally does the trick and I'm back to square one, trying to follow all the rules like a good mommy.
Unfortunately, on Friday I discovered that I really had over done it. I ended up in the hospital again. The baby is still fine, all my tests came back normal. I got a little reprimand from my doctor....FOLLOW THE RULES KELLY! And, I now have to track my water intake to make sure I drink at least 200 oz a day. I also got my first course of steriods to help the babies lungs develop in case I deliver early... boy that's fun. More on that later, for now I'm going to try to get some sleep....a wonderful side effect of betamethasone is evidently restlessness and insomnia. Yeah for me.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Just Sharing For Your Entertainment
I just saw this guy for the first time last night and I thought he was absolutely hilarious. Just a clip for your entertainment...I'm particularly fond of the fake girl and survivor jokes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MTXTHMtnXA&playnext=1&playnext_from=QL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MTXTHMtnXA&playnext=1&playnext_from=QL
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