Appointment Update

I just came back from the Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor and all went well. No ultrasound was done, it would have been nice, but we knew it was possible that they wouldn't do it. The doctor is so nice and funny, so it was a very relaxing appointment :) The appointment was mostly about my gestational diabetes and my control of it. Both the doctor and the dietician said that they are happy with my control and think I am doing very well, so that made me feel a lot better about my situation :) He agreed with everything I told him my regular OB has said, so it was also good to hear that. I have been really happy with the care I have received during this pregnancy and it was good to have some confirmation of that.

There has also been a second opinion on the safety zone this baby is in right now. He said what my OB has said that basically I can have the baby anytime now and he will do well. I plan to at least go two more weeks, if I can. I'm hoping that at that point I will have the baby soon after. We still want to avoid any major time in the NICU, other than the observation that we know he will need because of the diabetes. It still brings back too many memories about the NICU, so it would be hard to do that again, even for a couple of days. While at the hospital today, we saw a mom taking her baby home and this was the first time that I saw that and felt confident that I will be able to do that this time. I think one of the hardest things (other than the obvious issues with Ethan), when I would leave him at the hospital, was seeing moms get to take their babies home with them right after they had them, not 3 months later. I am so excited that I have a very strong chance of making it home with my baby this time :)

So, overall I had another great appointment to help me confirm how well things are going! I see my regular OB on Monday, so I'll update after that :)

34 Weeks!!!!

I am 34 weeks today! 3 more weeks until I am considered full-term! Nothing too major happened at yesterday's appointment. The NST took a long time again because my little man was sleeping. She actually had to use this little zapper to wake him up, he did not like that :) The first time, he got mad and then fell back asleep, kind of like a snooze button :) The second time, he got really mad and kicked like crazy and gave the information we needed.

The doctor told me again that he would be ok if the baby came now. Basically, he is not going to stop labor at this point. Kind of scary to me, but at the same time exciting that we are at the point that we can say that :) I'm measuring only 2 weeks ahead, which is really good. He is going to be a big baby, but hopefully not a giant baby :) That scares me :)

I am going to get my endurance up a little this week, but I will still remain on bedrest. The only thing I will do everyday is walk out to the bus to get Ethan, which is not a long walk. The doctor said that next week I'll be able to go out to dinner or even to the store :) It has been forever since either of those things have happened and it works out well because I may actually be able to go out to dinner for my birthday! I also stop progesterone next week, so that may allow contractions to begin.

Overall, all is still good right now. I go see the Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor on Thursday. We are hoping for a surprise ultrasound :) They do 3D there, so that would be fun. It would be fun to get a little glimpse of him. I'll update you after that appointment. We are looking forward to what the next couple of weeks will bring. It is exciting to know that we are really in the countdown now :)

First Cold of the Season

Well, we have been dealing with the first cold of the season already. Ethan was in school for just two days and caught a cold already! As many of you know, most of the time a cold is not just a cold for Ethan, it usually ends up turning into a full asthma attack and days of breathing treatments. Sometimes we get lucky and it just stays a cold and we don't have to do any treatments, but not this time. Ethan had been off of all asthma meds since May and did really well all summer, but his immune system is still having a hard time adjusting to the fall and winter germs. It seems like we will have to start the daily meds again, it's not much fun, but it has to be done!

It all started Thursday night when he was at his grandma's staying the night. He did not sleep well and started with a runny nose. So, in the morning I had to send all of his breathing treatment meds and supplies, with my dad, to my mom, since that was where Ethan was at on Friday. He only needed a couple of treatments on Friday, but it was Saturday that was just awful. Ethan needed treatments every 1-3 hours. He ended up with a fever and he was incredibly whiny, as most kids tend to be when they are sick. Matt had an appointment to get some work done on my car in the morning, so I was alone with Ethan for a few hours. Between 11 and 11:30, Ethan had to be given 3 different medications. I started out with some prednosone to help open up his lungs, since he was having difficulties with breathing between treatments. Then as soon as we got that down, he started into an awful asthma coughing fit, so I had to give him his treatment. Just as we finished that, he became hysterical. So, I felt him and noticed he was a little warm, so I took his temp and sure enough he had a fever. So, the third medication was for the fever. I finally called Matt and said "is the car ready yet? I'm exhausted!" Everytime I went to lay down, Ethan needed me for something, luckily I'm at a good point in the pregnancy that it wasn't such a big deal, but I was so exhausted by the time he started to feel a little better.

Luckily, he took a good nap and felt a lot better in the evening. We even went outside for a little bit, which I think is good to help kill some of the germs. He's a little better today, but he is still having difficulties with breathing and he has had a runny nose that won't go away. Poor Matt has had two nights of very little sleep, since he is the one sleeping upstairs with Ethan. The first night, Ethan spent the entire night in the bed with Matt, which means that Matt did not sleep. Ethan is not kind when he sleeps in the same bed as you. He is a kicker and he also has to be right up against you. He also moves all over the place and ends up taking up the entire bed :)

We had a ton of plans for this weekend, which has been a rare thing lately and we had to cancel everything. The plans for Saturday and Sunday included friends that have babies, one of them is only a few weeks old. We left it up to all of the parents involved to make the decision, but we figured that plans would end up having to be cancelled. We know what it is like to have a sick kid make Ethan sick, so we didn't want to do that to them. So, hopefully we'll be able to reschedule sometime before or after we have the baby :) This isn't the first time we have had to cancel plans, and I'm sure it won't be the last :) Let's just pray that I don't get this cold! I really just want to stay healthy until this little guy comes home!

My Baby Rode a Bus to School!

Ethan started his second year of preschool on Wednesday. It turns out that a fellow March of Dimes volunteer's son is in his class this year. Ethan was pretty excited to go back as one of the big kids in the class this year. He has been taking the whole big kid role very seriously lately and he even talks about how he is getting bigger and bigger! He has been making us so proud.

On Thursday, Ethan rode the bus to school for the first time. Both Matt and I were nervous about it, but in the end Ethan loved it. It was actually a pretty humorous event...Ethan was eating his cereal and I was watching out the window as I was finishing my breakfast. All of a sudden the bus pulled up a couple of minutes before we expected it. So, I yelled for Matt and we literally had to throw his shoes on and shove him out the door. Poor Ethan had no idea what hit him. He just knew that he couldn't finish his last bite of his cereal. He just looked at us like we were nuts. Both Matt and I felt winded afterwards and we couldn't help but laugh, thinking that Ethan must think his parents are crazy. Because we were both still a little nervous about it, Matt drove down to the school to make sure he got there ok and that Ethan handled it well. Luckily we only live about 2 miles from the school and Matt didn't have to be at work just yet. I think we both just needed that to make sure that we had made the right decision.

After school, I had my dad pick him up and bring him home so that I could say goodbye properly before he went to my mom's house and then he was going to stay the night with Matt's mom. Ok, the pregnant mom in me was too emotional to let him go without kissing him goodbye. I'm so glad I saw him because I will never forget his face when I asked him about the bus ride. It really made my day to see him so happy. So, on Monday, he will ride the bus to and from school and he will have his shoes on before he eats his breakfast :) We'll also have him ready well before the bus might come :)

I go back to the doctor on Monday and we'll learn a little more about how much I am going to be able to do. I know I will get a short walk out to the bus (it stops in front of our house) every day to get Ethan after school. But, it would be nice to know that maybe I can go out for a dinner, not that I know what I would be able to eat on this diet, but I can try my best :) I guess we'll see. They did up my medication for the diabetes because I was still getting a high number at dinner time. So now I take 1 pill in the morning and two at night. It looks like they will most likely put me on 2 in the morning and 2 at night. I also got my time for the cerclage removal. I will need to be at the hospital at 11am on the 25th with the removal happening at 1pm. There is a possibility that after being able to walk a little and being off of progesterone, I will go right into labor either that day or within a couple of days. I have also heard of some people going to the end after the removal. My hope is to go sometime that weekend or even once I am 37 weeks, which will be the 30th.

I can tell my body is getting ready and I am also now pretty sure that I will have back labor. I've had a lot more back pain and more contractions through the day. They are still not timable, which is good, but I am getting them more often. Before, I would get maybe 1-4 in a day, but now I have more than 4 in a day. Still pretty normal, but I'm sure it will increase as the weeks go on so that I am better prepared for actual labor. Now, if I could get some sleep at night that is a little more solid that would be great! I think a woman's body gets her ready for being up every 2-3 hours, because that is how often I get up. Sometimes, it is just simply because my body is in pain and I need to change positions, but then it takes some time to go back to sleep, as it does after being up with a baby. At least when I get a nap, it seems to be a little more peaceful. Of course, the naps are becoming less and less because of the amount of times I have to either be testing my blood or eating. It seems like I lay down and I already have to get up to do one of those things. So, I've been setting alarms so that I can sleep for even a half hour.

I'll update you on Monday about the appointment and hopefully we'll have a picture of Ethan getting on the bus. I didn't get a chance on Thursday because we had to move so fast to get him on there in the first place :) Have a great weekend!!

Words of Inspiration

Throughout this pregnancy, I have had many people offer words of inspiration at just the right moment. Most of the time it has been through a card or an email. Usually, they have come at a point where I have been feeling pretty low and it has brought me back up. Almost 2 months ago, I set up a google homepage for myself and I put two areas on it that give some words of inspiration. One is called "Words of Christ", which has quotes from the Bible. The other one comes from the Two Listeners, who said they heard the words of God. I have collected a few of the inspirational quotes that I have read that have made me feel so much better about lying here on bedrest. Even with as far as I have been able to get myself, I still have the hard days once in awhile and these quotes were on my home page on those low days. The words always remind me why I am here lying on the couch...

"Seek diligently for something to be glad and thankful about in every happening and soon no search will be required." - Two Listeners (This was an important one, as I have had many days where I have not been able to be glad and thankful, and this reminded me that I need to.)

"Look on each difficulty as training to enable you to acquire My Peace." - Two Listeners (All I can say is Wow! I feel that the experience we had with Ethan was training for this experience and now I wonder what this experience is training me for.)

"The beauty of My Kingdom is in its growth. Spend no time thinking of failures. Count lessons learned as rungs in a ladder. Step up." - Two Listeners (I love this one, for so long, I blamed myself for what happened in the pregnancy with Ethan, which was part of why I waited so long for another one and I realized the blame I put on myself was holding me back from losing weight, because I felt that once I lost some weight, I would be ready for a pregnancy again.)

"Not only in the great decisions of life accept and welcome My Will. See it in each interruption, each task however small. Accept it and the resulting Joy will transform your life." - Two Listeners (This is His Will and I am accepting it, even though it has taken me a long time to do so.)

"Be full of gratitude. Take all that happens as My Planning. I have prepared all in my My Love for you." - Two Listeners (Not much to say here, I have always believed in this, especially since I have had many things happen in my life that could not be explained by anything other than it was God's plan and he had his reasons.)

"So trust and know I am leading you. Step with confidence in Me into each unknown day.
And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace." (Luke 7:50) (I really felt this was meant for me on the day that I read it. I really needed to feel peace and after reading this, I did.)

"Never lose heart. Draw near to Me and in that nearness is all you need." - Two Listeners (Another simple reminder that I am not alone and that I cannot give up, I'll bring this baby home soon.)

This one is from today...

"No need to plead. How wonderful to feel you can simply claim help and so lovingly it is there." - Two Listeners (This has been something that has amazed me this entire pregnancy. It has been so helpful to both Matt and I to have so many people willing to step in and help whenever we needed it, especially when it comes to taking care of Ethan. We have appreciated all of the help that we have received. It is so great to know that we have such caring and loving friends and that this baby and Ethan have such a great support network. So THANK YOU!!)

33 Week Appointment

All went well again today. We had a little difficulty getting some kicks for the NST, but he eventually cooperated enough. He was really busy kicking right before the appointment, the little stinker! When I went into the doctor, the nurse gave me some info about labor, delivery and post-delivery! That was so crazy to get. It really made it real how close we are now. The doctor told me that he was really happy with how far I have gotten and he feels that the baby would be ok if he would happen to be born now. Obviously, he nor I want that, but it was reassuring to know I got him into another safety zone!

He confirmed that he will let me get up a walk around a bit more next week. I'll know more on Monday's appointment on what that means. I plan to still rest enough so that I can get to my cerclage removal date without any major problems. We also confirmed the date for the cerclage removal, which will be Sept. 25! So, barring any early labor, the earliest I should go into labor will be Sept. 25 or sometime soon after that. That is only a little over 3 weeks away. I am finally starting to feel like a normal pregnant women, which is a great feeling. The anxiety is changing for me, it is not so much a life or death anxiety, it is more the anxiety of having a new baby in a few weeks! I'm happy to have that anxiety! After 19 weeks of bedrest, I think I deserve it :)

I almost forgot, I was put on medication for my gest. diabetes. It seems to be helping already. I was still having high numbers at lunch and those have gotten better. I told them I would do anything I needed to get this baby here safely. I see the Maternal Fetal Medicine Doctor (the one who put in the cerclage) next Thursday. He wants to see me, since he was the one that had to prescribe the medicine.

Thanks again for all of your support. We'll keep you updated on any changes, otherwise, I will update you after the appointment on Monday and then on Thursday if there is anything to tell!

My Cedarpoint Trip!

On Friday, I went to Cedarpoint. The last time I was there I was too little and scared of the loud roller coasters, but this time I had a lot of fun. I went with Daddy, Grandma, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Joyce. I got to ride my very first roller coaster and it was really fast and I got to ride a lot of other rides too. I even went to the beach for a little bit and that was fun because I have been asking to go all summer! After Cedarpoint, I went with Grandma and Uncle Adam to Aunt Joyce's house in Cleveland. I had a lot of fun! It was another place I have been asking to go to all summer! Here is a video montage of some of the pictures that were taken of me at Cedarpoint. Just click on the words Cedar Point 2008.

Cedar Point 2008