Friday, October 31, 2008

Home!!!!

Yes, I made it home! Basically on total bed rest - doctor removed the 'walking around' option, though. Due to the insane amount of itching, I'm popping a benadryl and heading to bed. Well, sleep anyway. I'm already in bed.

Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, well wishes, finger crossing, etc. etc. Tomorrow our new insurance officially kicks in - so our little princess is welcome to join us anytime now. However, we'd all prefer she hold off for just a bit longer!!!

I will either be updating a lot out of sheer boredom or not at all because there is nothing to say! However, I do have pictures of Soren from Halloween that I will post. He looked awesome!

Ok, that's it - I'm going to SLEEP!!!! In my BED!!! Hooray!!!!!

Too good to be true?

The discharge papers are sitting with the nurse. I have to have one more round of blood work to check my liver function and then I get to go home. If the blood work comes back and says that nothing has changed. If they've spiked . . . ugh. They are not spiking though - even though the itching started again last night - they are not spiking. Because I want to go home!

Once I am released (optimistic thoughts!), I am on bed rest. I am allowed to walk around the house once a day, use the bathroom, eat, and shower. Otherwise I'm in bed or reclining somewhere. The doc said I am not in the full stages of toxemia, but I am so close he is worried. He is also leaving town until the 17th. And he says he wouldn't be surprised if I delivered before he got back. I gave him a grumpy face when he said that. I really want him to deliver the baby, but if that doesn't happen I will just have to live with it. As long as she is healthy and I make it through everything, then it's all good.

On top of all of this there are the complications with my liver, which to my understanding are not related to toxemia (PIH, preeclempsia... whatever we are calling it today). I don't want to even start worrying too much about that unless things look bad. They just came to take my blood and it should only be about an hour before the results are in. And then hopefully they'll be like - woot! Go home! Right? Right.

I have some visitors coming, so I am going to try and take a quick nap before they get here. I'm sure another update will be forthcoming soon! That is, if there is anything to update!

Oh - and Happy Halloween!!!!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Here's the latest!

So, I'm still in the hospital.

Once again, I am hoping for release soon.

Why am I still here? Hehe . . .

Well - the good news is that I am off the iv (though I've still got all the junk shoved into my veins in case they have to put me back on) and I am no longer being monitored. The nurses are still going to monitor Princess once every 12 hours, though. I had an ultrasound today and everything looked great. We got to see our little angel and she did everything she was supposed to. We were even able to see her hair! How cute! We got a great shot of her profile and watched her yawn and stretch. Awwww - she is so cute! No pictures this time, but it was fun to see her wiggle, squirm, and just know she is ok.

That leaves me. The antibiotics for the bladder infection have kicked in, so that's good news. However, the doctor wants 24 hours of urine. Who wants that? I mean - eww! What a yucky present! Haha! Anyway, once they have that (by mid-morning tomorrow) they will be testing all that lovely pee for proteins. If the protein levels have leveled out, then we will know they were caused by the bladder infection and not the Pregnancy Induced Hypertension. If the protein levels have not resolved, then ... well we don't want to think about that.

As it is, the doctor wants to induce early. He'd like to see me get to 38 weeks. We all agree 40 weeks isn't going to happen.

Overall, things are looking up. I'm feeling good, I have a new bed (woohoo!), and am hoping and praying to be home by this time tomorrow. I miss my TiVo. Haha! But seriously, I want to be home, in my bed, able to be with my family - even if I have to spend most of my time in bed. At least I'll be at home.

I will update again once we know more! Thank you again for your love and support! It's time for me to order another round of food and get ready for bed. Which involves turning off the light and rolling over . . . hee hee

The Latest from Room 302

What an exciting 24 hours it has been!

After throwing up a grand total of 6 times yesterday (including on the way to the hospital! I've never had to stop and throw up on the side of the freeway.... haha!), I was sent to the triage of the labor/delivery ward at the hospital. They monitored me and the baby - who was doing fine - and I was having pretty regular contractions. I also was pretty dehydrated. They did some blood work and then, much to our surprise, we were told they would be delivering the baby.

Alan and I were pretty stunned.

We were sent to a labor/delivery room and admitted. The whole time we were like... uh, totally not ready for this! I didn't even bring the camera or pack a bag or anything! Ugh! Plus it is nearly 5 weeks early and that's just scary.

Luckily, the doctor came in and minds had been changed. It looks like I have a bladder infection. My blood pressure has been stable - even low. It was decided to hook me up to an IV and get some fluids in my body - they think the contractions were happening because I was dehydrated. Also, they wanted me to try and eat. I ordered up some 'room service' (haha), got hooked up to the IV, and spent the night trying to get comfortable in a horrible bed not designed for sleeping.

Now the doctor has checked in with us, I'm on antibiotics, and we are waiting to find out if we get to go home. Either way I will for sure deliver early. How early is still in question. I am guessing I will be on bed rest if I get to go home. They are still worried about Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (even though I've only had one high reading since we got here) because of some liver tests.

So, while there are things to report, I feel like there isn't much to report at the same time. We are in a holding pattern and hoping we can go home today. Soren is slightly disappointed that he doesn't get his sister yet, but he also says he knows she is where she needs to be. And I have promised him he will be the first to hold her (after the doctor, nurses, mommy, and daddy of course!).

Once there is more info - I will pass it on! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers! They are so appreciated! And now I must sign off before the battery dies on the laptop. Yeah, we are that prepared . . . . hee hee!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Change of Plans

Heading to the hospital.

Will update when I can.

And the results are in!!!

I know, I sound all excited, but I'm not! Haha!

I officially have PIH - Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (aka toxemia or preeclampsia). Fun, huh? I know, you want it to, but you can't have it cuz I'm not sharing! The strange thing is, I know all the signs to look for with PIH because they were concerned when I was pregnant with Soren that I'd develop it and I never did. So I'm like - uh, where's the symptoms? Haha! However, I'm not going to argue with the doctor. I like him too much to argue. Of course now I don't even know if he'll deliver me because I'm being sent to a high-risk doctor type person on Monday for a consultation.

As for my liver, 2 of the 4 tests they did came back abnormal. I am waiting to hear what THAT means for me. Luckily the itching has decreased signifigantly, so hopefully that is a good sign. I also managed to get an ok night of sleep last night without Benadryl. Of course my hips are sore because of all the laying about I've had to do the past few days, so that caused some problems. Yeah, it's all just one big complaint after another, isn't it? I *must* be getting close to delivery, right?

Oh - and I threw up this morning.

Rude!!!

So now I feel like I'm back in my first trimester, nibbling on saltines and sipping water. I don't want saltines, though. I want a big ol' hamburger. Oh well!

Anyway, that's the update. I'll see my doctor on Friday and then the Perinatologist on Monday. I'm sure there will be more juicy news to share after that. For now I'm going to try and get comfortable on the couch and play some Mario Kart and maybe watch a movie while trying to fall asleep.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Itching Update

So, I'm back from the doctor.

Yeah, he's concerned.

1 - I lost weight. This isn't exactly bad, but it's not exactly good. Baby is growing fast now and I should be gaining. He wasn't pleased and reminded me that I need to eat even if nothing looks good. Just shove something down my gullet.

2 - My blood pressure was stupid high. I credit this to worry/stress and total lack of sleep. He is concerned about it turning into toxemia - which is a valid concern. So I have to watch that this week.

3 - The itching is not good news, like I thought. I had 4 vials of blood drawn - and my vein - my super strong vein that has given the medical world so much blood - GAVE OUT after the second vial. RUDE! So we had to switch arms and get the last 2 vials from the other arm. I am having my liver function tested. I do not know when the results will come, but I'm guessing sooner rather than later.

4 - I am on partial bed rest - I need to spend 50% of my waking hours all comfy and cozy in a bed or a cozy chair. Seeing as sitting up fails me (Bean has taken up residency on a nerve if I sit against anything - including pillows), I shall be spending half of my day in bed. FUN! (April - I need you! Haha!)

5 - I have a prescription for a topical thingie to help the itching and have been instructed to take Benadryl every 6 hours to help with the itching as well as help me get some sleep.

See, the itching thing isn't normal pregnancy itching. The thought process here is that my liver is currently leaking bile into my bloodstream which is, in turn, manifesting itself through my skin. Apparently this happens in... oh, about 1% of pregnancies. Haha! I have such luck. Worst case scenario? Bean will come 3 weeks early instead of 1. Best case scenario? My liver function isn't too bad and the meds help the itching stop. I'd be more comfortable either way if they took her at 37 weeks (the usual protocol if you have this problem). I don't want anything to happen to her. That's what makes me the most nervous.

So, I may not be posting here so much for the next little while. I dunno. Apparently I need to go be all buddy buddy with my bed. Bleh.

Going to pop a bendaryl, rub on some of the lotiony stuff and see if I can get a nap in. I am beyond exhausted.

Death By Scratching

Is it possible to die from itching?

I ask this because I am wondering if it would be better for me to just chop off my arms and legs in order to avoid death or if I will make it until my 10:30am doctor's appointment. Because as of right now (at the lovely hour of 2:20am), I can not sleep due to intense, annoying, frustrating, and most of all irritating itching.

The advice of my son? "Stop itching, mom." And then he handed me anti-itch cream. The advice of my neighbor? She is so sweet and gave me some Vitamin E oil. The advice of my husband? "Stop itching." After which he grabs my hands. However, he can't hold my hands all night long because he does this thing called sleeping. I'm not exactly sure what that is right now, as I haven't experienced much of it in the past few weeks, but he manages it very well. I'm almost jealous. Oh, ok - I AM jealous. I was also very displeased tonight when I realized he was starting to edge over to my side of the bed with his feet again. He used to sleep diagonal until I invaded the bed with the Pillow Mountain. Now I think he is trying to go back to it again! I didn't have the strength, energy, or desire to kick him hard enough to make him move because I was too busy itching.

So, I gave up on sleeping altogether after crying, whining, and almost screaming. I am very grateful to be seeing a doctor today, but less grateful for my internet search abilities and the information that is floating around the web. It has me very paranoid about why the itching is happening. Not for myself, but for Little Bean. Who is not so little anymore.

In other news, my baby was stung by a wasp yesterday! We were outside taking some photos for a photo project he is working on for school and he screamed. Soren doesn't scream. Then he started crying. Soren rarely cries. I went over to see if he was ok and he had an ouchie on his finger! I'd seen some bugs flying around, but didn't realize they were wasps!!!! Ugh! So I brought him inside to take care of it and he screamed again! A sneaky wasp had gotten inside his hoodie AND tshirt and stung him again!!! So he was quite upset. And I was upset for him. Luckily it is healing fine, he's not allergic, and that wasp that snuck inside? He is SO dead. Kudos to Alan for catching and killing that evil critter!

Ok, I am going to go find a few distractions to keep me from itching myself to death and/or chopping off limbs. Goodnight and I hope everyone else in the world sleeps better than I have/will/etc tonight!

Friday, October 17, 2008

Tag - You're it!

I was TAGGED by my sweet sister-in-law.... and while I usually ignore tags, I can't ignore my sister-in-law - especially now that we live so close to each other! Love it!

I was also TAGGED by my sweet friend Emily, and since she's all the way in Africa, I thought I'd humor her, too.

Tag #1 = Quirks

1. I hate toys that make noise. I am a mean, horrible, boring mother that won't put batteries in a toy if it means I have to sit and listen to it be obnoxious all day long. For this reason I am grateful that Soren is old enough to generally not have loud, annoying toys. And anything that makes noise at this point in his life can have headphones added so I don't have to listen to it. Of course this is all about to change . . . and then this quirk will come back to the forefront of my life.

2. Feet, unless they are baby feet, disgust me beyond belief. I do not want to touch anyone's feet - and only rarely my own. No one is allowed to touch my feet or they will get kicked (sometimes really hard) and I will scream a lot. I do not know where this aversion came from or when it happened, but I just hate them there feet.

3. I have a very hard time sleeping when it is not night time and when I'm not in my bed. For this reason, I do not generally nap. I will lay down and rest, but actual sleeping in the daylight hours is extremely hard for me to do. Which is probably why I am exhausted every night right now. Again, I see this changing for me soon . . .

4. When I find a new CD I like I must listen to it until I have every song memorized. Then and only then will I take it out of the CD player and listen to something else. If I do not take the time to do this with a new CD, I will generally not listen to it much, if at all, in the future. Along those same lines, if I am working on something while I listen to a CD and have to stop working on it, in order to begin work again, I must put the same CD in if I'm going to get anything done. Because of this, almost every website I've designed has it's own 'soundtrack.'

5. I love to organize things. LOVE it. Be it my own stuff or not, I could sit and organize and actually have fun doing it. My movies are all in alphabetical order. My books are as well, separated by genre. My CDs, too. I love to organize cupboards and closets. I love to PURGE things from said cupboards and closets. I love to give everything a place. And once it has a home, I am obsessive about making sure it stays that way. Eventually, though, it all falls to pieces (especially when I'm working a lot) and then I get to organize it all again! Since moving in with my parents I have organized the pantry, a few kitchen cupboards, a portion of the garage, and helped with some drawers/cabinets. There is still plenty to be done. . . . now if I could only find the energy!

6. If I start a book, 99% of the time, I have to finish it or I will go crazy. Even if I don't really like it - I have read it to the end. There have been very few occassions that I have put a book down and not picked it back up - sometimes even years later - to try and finish it. I can count on one hand the amount of books I have put down and have no intention of picking up at a later date.

Tag #2 = One Word

Here are the rules: I have to answer the following questions with one word answers and one word only! Then I must pass it on to seven others.The questions are as follows:

1. Where is your cell phone? Nightstand
2. Where is your significant other? Work
3. Your hair color? Brown-ish
4. Your mother? Loving
5. Your father? Silly
6. Your favorite thing? Family
7. Your dream last night? Baby
8. Your dream/goal? Theatre
9. The room you're in? Bedroom
10. Your hobby? Computer
11. Your fear? Heights
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Home
13. Where were you last night? Bed
14. What you're not? Regretful
15. One of your wish-list items? House
16. Where you grew up? Washington
17. The last thing you did? Eat
18. What are you wearing? Pajamas
19. Your TV? TLC
20. Your pet? Nada
21. Your computer? Lovely
22. Your mood? Sleepy
23. Missing someone? Jen
24. Your car? Mazda
25. Something you're not wearing? Shoes
26. Favorite store? Wegmans
27. Your summer? Insane
28. Love someone? Alan
29. Your favorite color? Purple
30. When is the last time you laughed? Yesterday
31. Last time you cried? Today

Now, I am not a tagger. So, if you would like to do this - feel free! Or just enjoy learning some quirkiness about yours truly.

It's been a long week........ and it ain't over yet. I'm ready for some relaxing, but that won't be happening anytime soon.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Thin Does Not Equal Healthy




(if you can't see this go here to view what I tried to embed!)

And in other news - looks like Nov. 24th is a go! Woot!

Friday, October 10, 2008

It's Picture Time!

I know I said (over) a week ago that I would get pictures up and I failed miserably. It's not because anything exciting has been going on - on the contrary! Life has been pretty mellow. I hope that after the baby comes I will have more to report, but for now it's just the same stuff everyday. Soren goes to school, Alan goes to work, and little ol' me stays home, pokes around on the computer, watches some TV, tries to get a few things accomplished, and just generally wanders around like a zombie who has not gotten enough sleep! I feel like such a boring blogger lately that I almost want something exciting to happen! But I think I'd really just settle for a few more calm weeks before the storm (aka the baby) takes over.

I did have some fun yesterday, though! I got my hair done! It has been ages since I had it done - almost a year, really. So it was about time. And I decided to go a little crazy, with the help of my friend who also likes to go a little crazy sometimes. We make an exciting pair when we decide to be really crazy, let me tell ya! So here I am:



No, you aren't seeing things. I went lighter. A LOT lighter. Like, I'm nearly blonde in the highlights. It's so strange, but so fun! And I know I can go back to her right before the baby comes and get touch ups or go a completely different direction. And the great thing about it is - we trade. So I do web design stuff for her husband or I babysit her kids and I get my hair done! I love that! It's all going to take some getting used to - I looked in the mirror quite a few times yesterday in confusion - but I am pretty sure I like it. My parents (even my DAD who HATES it when I cut my hair) really like it and Alan does as well. Even Soren does, and he's a boy of routine and structure - he is not a big fan of change.

And now for the belly pics. The quality isn't great - I was using my web cam (just decided to try it out for the first time yesterday haha), but you get the general hugeness of it all.

32 1/2 weeks:





Some people have said I don't look like I'm 6 or 7 weeks away but trust me when I say - I FEEL 6 or 7 weeks away. I have my first doctors appointment since the move today and am kinda nervous - which is going to do wonders for my blood pressure. I am going to asked to be induced simply because of how far away the hospital is from us but also because I'm a chicken and need my drugs. I say need not for the pain, but for my reaction to people bothering me in that area of my body. It will be better for everyone involved (including the baby) if I just don't really know what's going on. Some people might wander how I ever got through any of the infertility procedures we did, but the truth of the matter is, I thing Heavenly Father had a huge hand in that because in normal circumstances I would not have been able to do it. So here's hoping for an induction date of Nov. 24th!!! I'll keep y'all posted.

Ok, time for me to get some food and get ready to go meet my new doctor! Wish me luck!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

October is Finally Here!

I love October. I love the cool, crisp fall air that begins creeping in. I love the leaves that begin to change to brilliant shades of red, orange, and green. I love watching them fall from the trees so I can rake up big piles of leave and watch my son play in them. I love the promise of Halloween at the end of the month, one of my favorite holidays ever!

Yesterday, October 1st, I encouraged my mother to pull out any Halloween decorations she might have floating around (not nearly enough, if you ask me!) and put them out. I also went out and bought some apple cider and donuts. Then I went to the video store (which I haven't done for ages!) and picked up a fun Halloween cartoon: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.



After we'd had dinner and were all settled, I surprised everyone and we sat down for some tasty treats (though a few people chose Hot Chocolate instead of cider) and watched the cartoon. It was so fun to hang out and celebrate October with my family! Admittedly, I did steal this idea (thank you NieNie and Cjane), but it's such a wonderful idea and I finally have time to sit down and do silly things like this with my family. I think everyone had fun, even if it was a bit silly, but what can I say? I just love October!

I also was grateful that Oct. 1st ended up being a Wednesday because that is one of the least busy days at our house.

Today was relaxing for the most part - until the evening when we had to juggle basketball practice and curriculum night at the school. But we made it through, Soren is tucked into bed, and I'm already starting to fade.

I shall be posting pics of me and my baby belly soon! I know a few people who are anxious to see them!